EDITOR

Daniel Hindes
dhindes@sneakybastards.net
ART DIRECTOR
Richie Hull
richiehull81@gmail.com
ILLUSTRATORS
AJ Hateley
www.gametee.co.uk
Dona Vajgand
www.dona-v.com
CONTRIBUTORS
AJ Hateley, Luke Thompson, Jill Scharr, Justin
Keverne, Nels Anderson, The Drunken Whaler
CONTACT US
taffer@sneakybastards.net
www.sneakybastards.net
Twitter
@sneaky_bastards

ISSUE ONE: DISHONORED

elcome to Issue One of Sneaky

Bastards: The Stealth Gaming
Magazine. Its been a strange,
winding journey to get here. In fact, its
been completely backwards. When we
launched the Sneaky Bastards website in
2011, we had no idea that a print edition
would be something wed be working
toward. Its usually the magazines that
turn into websites. What the hell is
wrong with us?
We havent quite figured that out. But
we know that we adore print media.
There is a weight and significance to its
existence; something no number of posts
online can replicate. When a game like
Arkane Studios Dishonored is released,
we feel it deserves that full weight and

significance, which only an interpretation

through print media can provide.
So, our debut issue is a little bit of
everything about this one game. Critique,
analysis, exploration, commentary, postmortem. It is a compendium for things
spawned by the release of Dishonored; a
compilation of long-form analytical and
artistic endeavours that need to exist in
this medium. It is our response to the game
that has, amongst other things, brought
the legacy of Looking Glass Studios to the
masses. We hope you enjoy it.
Daniel Hindes
Editor
@dhindes

Facebook
www.facebook.com/sneakybastards
Steam Community
www.steamcommunity.com/groups/sneakybastards
DISTRIBUTION
HP MagCloud
www.magcloud.com
WITH SPECIAL THANKS

Raphael Colantonio, Harvey Smith, Seth Shain, Ricardo

Bare, Julien Roby, Viktor Antonov, Sbastien Mitton
and the rest of the team at Arkane Studios for their
contributions to the magazine and to stealth gaming.
Bec Waddy, Alistair Hatch, Nick Heller and everyone
at Bethesda for supporting a ludicrously niche and
independent outfit like ourselves.
The talented artists whose work is featured throughout
this publication.
James Snook, for some of the stellar screenshots
featured throughout this issue.
www.flickr.com/photos/jim2point0
And our generous Kickstarter backers, without whom
this would not be possible:

Alex Dickie, Alex Dingley, Alex Walker, Andrew, Andy

Durdin, Anthony Burch, Antonio Merker, Arkane Studios,
Astra Navn, Bastien, Bredan, Chickenlordable, Chris, Chris
Lewis, Christiaan Moleman, Christina Nguyen, Christoph
Jtz, Christophe Carrier, Christopher Corneschi, Christopher
Duncan, Connary Fagen, Daniel Wilks, David Hawes, David
Pittman, deviousboomer, DivineGod, djcreedy, Dominik
Johann, Dominus, Donyea Cooley-White, DoubleTake,
Douglas Yee, Edmond Tran, Evan Lahti, f_zul, FailX, Fiona
Hartmann, Firky, Frank Maisano, Frank van Gemeren, Harvey
Smith, hawkeye, Ian Downing, J. Kyle Pittman, Jack Mariani,
Jacob Sawyer, James Bywater, James Riggall, Jamie Galea,
Jason Imms, Jason Reimche, Jennifer Hoang, Jessie Carroll,
Joe Martin, Johann Leonhartsberger, Joseph Thompson,
Jurie Horneman, Keeper_Riff, Kent O. Hudson, Klutar, Leigh
Harris, Lim Hwee Key, Magos, Maria Francesca Roca, Mark
OBeirne, Mark Skews, Mark Stevens, Marko Koskinen, Matej
Kac, Maxim Samoylenko, Michael Vane, Michael Zenke, Mike
Brown, Naffsidno, Nathan Cocks, Nathan Curell, Nathaniel
Radband, Nels Anderson, netsabes, Nick Hahneman, Nick
Young, Patrick Redding, Peter Molina, Phil Hindes, Philipp
Gurevich, Philip Staffetius, Randeep, Rob Caporetto, Romain
Barrilliot, Romain Gaullier, Ryan Hunt, Ryan Mattson,
Sam Crisp, Sean Duncan, Sean Welsh, Sebastian Hage,
Seth Louis, Shaun Prescott, Snidesworth, Somnambulist,
Soukeara Anthony Say, Stephen Farley, Stevan Hird, Steve
Burnett, Steve Key, t3nman, Takayuki, Terrence Jarrad,
Thirith, Thomas, Tim Lince, Tim Stellmach, Trevor Boyson,
Tristan Jensen, vEKo, William Sweetman

CONTENTS
04. ORIGIN STORY
The first ideas and designs behind the
inception of Dishonored

78. SYSTEM SHOCKERS

A sneaky conversation with Arkane Studios
Systems Designer, Seth Shain

06. A TALE OF TWO CITIES

The historical and literary influences behind
Dunwall

84. BLUE STREAKS

Inside the world of competitive Dishonored
speedrunning

12. BUT, ALAS, SHE IS A WOMAN

Sex, Power and High Society in Dunwall

88. THE GALLERY

A curated collection of traditional and digital
fan artworks

16. DECONSTRUCTING DUNWALL

A blow-by-blow design analysis of both
Corvos and Dauds campaigns
64. THE ASSASSINS APPRENTICE
Arkane Studios Designer Ricardo Bare on
creating Dauds DLC

94. THE INSIDERS

Looking back at Dunwall with Co-creative
Directors Raphael Colantonio and Harvey
Smith

66. THE STEALTH REVIEW

Critiquing Dishonoreds supernatural stealth
gameplay

The NiNja PiTch

The original designs and concepts that took Dishonored from feudal
Japan to the steampunk city of Dunwall

ishonoreds genesis began with

what Co-creative Directors
Raphael Colantonio and
Harvey Smith called The
Ninja Pitch. Set in feudal
Japan, it adhered to the core tenets
Arkanes previous games explored.
Specifically: immersive first-person
action with a suite of magical powers.
As the team continued exploring the idea,
the setting shifted to Victorian London,
and the ninja became a supernatural
assassin. Viktor Antonov, the director of
Dishonoreds visual design, continued to
push the setting closer and closer to the
present, so that a very traditional London
became the fantasy setting of Dunwall,
with steampunk technology bolting itself
over historic architecture. Here, then, are
some of the original concept pieces from
throughout Dishonoreds design, before it
finally found its identity.

Viktor Antonov, director of Dishonoreds

visual design, continued to push the
setting closer and closer to the present

A.J. Hateley & Luke Thompson

6

black sea heaves against

the rock shores of
Dunwall. Above, on a
carved iron bridge, two
men hurl bag after bag over the rusting
handrails, loudly singing a sea-shanty as
the bags crash into the waves. These men
are the guards of this city. These bags, the
bodies of young men and women ravaged
by plague. Welcome to Dishonored, a
world where pestilence creeps through
the streets and the alleyways of a city
seeped in political turmoil. A place where
only the rich and the powerful have any
hope of surviving, where the lives and
deaths of whales are somehow intimately
woven with those of men, and where
masquerade parties fill the night with
song and colour, even as the city weeps.
LONDONS BURNING
Dishonored takes place in the fictional

a world where pestilence creeps through

the streets and the alleyways of a city
seeped in political turmoil
port city of Dunwall; a white stone walled
capital city on an estuary mouth. Originally,
Dishonored was set to take place in the city
of London during the plague outbreak of
1665, the year that preceded the Great Fire
of London where more than half the city
was destroyed by fire. Before the outbreak
of bubonic plague in London, a strange,
pale comet hung in the sky, and citizens
were haunted by visions of unburied
bodies and deadcarts in the night sky.

The 1665 visitation of plague would

prove the most deadly the city had ever
weathered; corpses littered the streets,
plague victims were locked in their
households, and from the drains and
sewers of the city, vast swarms of rats
came pouring, riddled with the fleas that
carried the deadly contagion. Ships were
anchored in the Thames with all hands
dead aboard, and watermen died lying
in the holds of their boats. Upon playing
7

in the case of historical London. In Dunwall,

there is no nursing of the afflicted, no
possibility of escape, and no removal of
the dead from the sealed houses. In listing
the measures taken to keep the plague
victims locked inside, Dafoe writes;
Every house visited by plague be
marked with a red cross of a foot long in
the middle of the door, evident to be seen,
and with the usual printed words, that is to
say, Lord, have mercy upon us.
In Dunwall, each barricaded building is
similarly marked. Those inside are doomed
to the disease. For the player, the mark
hints at the possibility of encountering one
of the still living victims of the pestilence,
the pitiful weepers.

Dishonored, it is difficult to imagine that

the scenes of disease and horror that
the player witnesses could be anything
more than fiction. But this is not the case.
From the treatment of plague victims, to
the callous attitudes of the guardsmen,
Dunwall is an accurate, factually-informed
representation of a city visited by plague.
A Journal of the Plague Year, by Daniel
Defoe, chronicles London in 1665 during
the outbreak of the plague. The diary
provides an account of the measures taken
by the authorities to stop the spread of
the disease. This began with the robust
quarantining of victims stricken with
illness. This method of the shutting up

of houses had been first undertaken in

1603. Afflicted citizens were locked inside
their own houses for a period of twenty
eight days. City watchmen were stationed
outside the victims houses at all hours, with
orders to stop anyone who tried to get out,
to attend to the requests of those that still
lived, and to summon the tolling deadcarts
if they were required. If no sign of sickness
had been observed for four weeks, the
household was lawfully reopened.
In Dishonored, similar action is taken to
isolate those suffering from plague, yet
there is a brutality and finality to the large
steel braces the player sees positioned
against doors and windows that is absent

WATERY GRAVES
It is unclear what manner of plague
afflicts Dunwall. In-game writings suggest
that Pandyssian rats are the carriers of
plague, bringing the disease from oversea. The plague is unlikely to be bubonic
as there is no characteristic large-scale
die off of rats, as observed in London,
who are as equally vulnerable as humans
to this type of plague and are unable to
survive it. The weepers, however, present
a clue. Their painful coughing points to
a likely diagnosis of pneumonic plague,
transmitted via infected sputum and
inhalation, and requiring no flea or rat
vector for the contagion to spread. Once
contracted, it is always lethal. This is
the type of plague associated with the
childrens rhyme, Ring-a-ring-a-Roses, in

which children dance around in a circle

before shouting the words; a-tishoo,
a-tishoo, we all fall down.
The bodies of those who died of the
plague litter the streets and the alleyways
of Dunwall. It is no coincidence that so
many of these shrouded cadavers should
appear in the city. Many of Dunwalls dead
are thrown into the sea, as in Naples in the
outbreak of 1555 when twenty thousand
corpses were disposed of in the same
manner. During the London plague, over a
fifth of the population succumbed to the
disease; far too many to bury in the few
graveyards that the city contained. As a
result, the London authorities purchased
every piece of spare area of land available
within the city in order to dig out vast pits
in which the bodies could be hurled in
and contained. A resident of Whitechapel
or Knightsbridge could look out of their
windows and see the dead being thrown

into one of the many pits dug in their

part of central London. Young or old,
rich or poor, all were thrown into these
trenches with little or no ceremony. This
added to the horror of such a fate, as in
1665, London was very much a Christian
city. The plague pits were all excavated
on unconsecrated ground. No priest had
blessed those thrown into the pits and
the unsanctified land often reverted to its
original purpose shortly after the trench
was filled. The authorities made it illegal
to visit these places, partly due to the
risk of infection, and partly due to the
regularity with which those taken with the
final stages of the disease would throw
themselves in, alive.
The watchmen of Dishonored are
notable for their lack of compassion
towards the victims of the plague. They can
often be overheard talking about districts
sealed off by the authorities, laughing at
the poor individuals
trapped within,
and upon contact
with anyone
suffering from the
disease, their first
reaction is to draw
their swords and
ensure that the
afflicted cannot
live long enough to
infect them. This
representation of
those who were
positioned to

monitor and deal with people sick of the

plague is drawn from historical accounts.
Though many of those charged with
maintenance of the pits were sympathetic
toward the grieving, they were sometimes
foul-mouthed and violent, taking pleasure
in the fear they inspired in the Londoners
that passed them. In some cases, the
buriers were not fitly qualified for their
role and would strip the bodies of recently
deceased young women, bearing them to
horrified onlookers. In one instance, a man
was reported for holding up the corpse of
a dead infant and shouting out the price
for its meat, in a ghoulish imitation of a
butcher.
Visually, Dunwall also resembles plague
London, with every corner and post
being used to display papers and bills
advertising cures for the afflicted. Dafoe
recounts seeing posters in every part of
London, promising Infallible preventive
pills against the plague, Never Failing
Preservatives Against the Infection and
Sovereign cordials against the corruption
of the air. Sadly for the citizens of the
real city, these bills were quackery and
nonsense.
VIGOROUS CONSTITUTION
In Dishonoreds prologue, Corvo returns to
Dunwall after fruitlessly seeking assistance
from Gristols other cities. The Empress
reveals the content of Corvos letter from
these other districts; the capital is to be
blockaded and isolated and there is no
be no assistance. Historically, the walled

cities of Britain would similarly defend

themselves if plague had been detected
in the port capital, and all travellers from
London would require a certificate of
health in order to travel. Often, those
taking flight from the city would be
unwelcome in inns and villages despite
this, and death from infection that had
gone undetected was common on the
road. Rural villagers, knowing the disease
well, would stay upwind of bodies and
drag them into deep graves with long
hooked poles. International aid was never
sought, as it was suspected that foreign
citizens and powers had carried or even
deliberately caused the disease.
It is interesting to note the disparity
between citizens assigned to count the
dead in historical London, and those
with the same task in Dunwall. Those in
Dunwall are recruited from among the
officers of the City Watch, and afforded
immunity from the rat plague by their
ration of elixir. However, in London, these
dead counters, known as examiners,
would be responsible for observing
sickness in a household and for overseeing
the burying of bodies in the pits. The
examiners, usually men appointed by
the alderman of the parish, would serve
for a period of two months. The role was
not voluntary and any man refusing this
dangerous task, Dafoe notes, would be
committed to prison until they shall
conform accordingly. In many cases, the
examiner would not live to serve his full
term. Inspecting the dying, the examiner
would be at terrible risk of contracting the
plague via infected fleas jumped from
the cooling body in search of a new host.
The same disease that killed the sufferer
would in turn kill the flea, by blocking its
digestive tract and effectively starving
it to death. Desperately hungry, the
parasite would bite new hosts in a frenzy.
Equally at risk were the women known
as searchers, tasked with being the first
to enter quarantined houses in which the
10

occupants had fallen silent. They counted

those dead of plague and of other
diseases as best as they could ascertain
and reported the numbers to the parish
for tallying in the often inaccurate and
falsified bills of mortality.
STRANGER DANGER
Beyond historical contexts, Dishonored
is a game rich with literary allusion. The
Outsider, a character that provides the
player with magical abilities, existing in
an almost dream-like plane of existence,
is a reference to a novel of the same
name by the writer and philosopher,
Albert Camus. The novel, The Outsider,
or, LEtranger (1942), follows the character
Mersault as he moves from his mothers
funeral through to murdering a man and
standing trial for his crime. While the plot
is in no way comparable to Dishonored,
Mersault and the Outsider are similar in
how they view the world. Both stand at
the sidelines, observing the actions of
others in a detached, objective manner.
Both see the underlying absurdity of
humanity, treating serious events with an
aloofness that is often callous. Camus has
been quoted as saying that The Outsiders
protagonist was designed to be the
only Christ we deserve, and this religious
feeling carries over directly into the world

of Dishonored and how the Outsider is

depicted there.
In addition to The Outsider, Camus was
also famous for his great existentialist
work, The Plague (1947). Set in the town of
Oran, a port town on the coast of Algeria,
the novel tells of the arrival of the Bubonic
plague to the town, and how the people
tried to fight against it. Like Dishonored,
the plague comes with the rats. As Doctor
Rieux, the novels narrator returns home
before the plague, he enters his apartment
block to find, The stairway from the cellar
to the attic strewn with dead rats, ten or a
dozen of them.
Yet this is only the start of the trouble.
Within days, thousands of rats come
pouring out of the towns sewers to lie
upon the sun-baked streets retching and
convulsing with the effects of the plague.
Unlike the Dunwall authorities, those in
charge of Oran attempt to remove the rats
before infection can begin. Rat catchers
haul bags of dead rats into trucks taking
them to the town incinerator, and when
the rat problem increases, poison gas is
pumped into the sewer system to kill what
rats remain beneath. One of the main
measures taken in the novel, as in London
in 1665 and in the city of Dunwall, is to
close off the routes into and out of the
cities. The first reaction of any populous
when faced with an outbreak of plague is
to flee. This presents numerous problems,
the most important being spread of
contagion, as happened in Britain when
afflicted individuals escaped London and
headed north, causing epidemics in places
such as Eyam, where once the plague
struck the people forced quarantine on
themselves, leaving only 400 people left
alive. One of the characters in the novel
has the desire to flee foremost in his mind,
going as far as bargaining with criminals to
get him over the city walls. He describes
the willingness of the guards to shoot
anyone who approaches the gates, and
how the guards are more secure from the
disease than those trapped inside in the
small, stuffy houses of Oran, where flea
bites are rampant.
The guards of Dunwall are assisted in
keeping the citizenry within the capital

Art: Alfred Khamidullin

http://hieronymus7z.blogspot.com

with resources such as the wall of light; the

lethal forcefield that electrocutes to death
would-be escapees.
Unlike the citizens of Dishonored,
the people of Oran band together to
help and comfort those who have been
stricken with the plague. Doctors remain
at bedsides, despite the risk to their own
health. Men and women bring food and
water to those victims who are bedridden
and in the last stages of the disease.
There is a marked difference with how
the plague is dealt with in Oran, and how
it is dealt with in Dunwall. The one core
difference between the two cities, and
the reason for such a different approach
to those stricken with the disease, is that
Dunwall is overseen by a powerful, corrupt
authority, while Oran is free of such an
influence and endeavours to help both
rich and poor in any way possible.
POE-FACED
Finally, the influence of Edgar Allen Poe
can be found in one chapter of the game
which draws Corvo to a masquerade ball
being held at the Boyle Mansion in a rich
part of Dunwall. At this party, the men
and women all wear masks, which allows
Corvo to mingle unnoticed.
Similarities can be found in one of Poes
works, The Masque of the Red Death.
This short story tells of a masquerade ball
being held in a lavish residence for the
rich and the powerful of a city decimated
by plague. The ball is held in rooms all
of a different colour, with each having a
different theme to excite the guests. This
colour aspect carries over to the dresses
worn by the Boyle sisters, as well as
the lighting of each separate room, but
this is not the only similarity between
Dishonored and Poes story.
During the end of the story, it becomes
apparent that there is a man at the ball
who should not be there. He wears the
mask of the plague, and is seeking the
Prince, mingling with the guests and
remaining unnoticed as he works his way
to the host of the ball, with the sole intent
of killing him. He is described as being, ...
tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head
to foot in the habiliments of the grave.
The mask which concealed the visage
was made so nearly to resemble the
countenance of a stiffened corpse that the
closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in
detecting the cheat.
Such a description fits Corvo perfectly.
The implication within the story is that
the assassin who kills the prince is the
embodiment of the plague he wished
to avoid; this implication is also present
in Dishonored. Corvo is the plague, but
instead of afflicting the poor and the
weak, he brings ruin to those who consider
themselves above the disease; the rich,
the powerful, and the masters of the
plague-ridden city of Dunwall.

Art: Alteya
http://alteya.deviantart.com

11

BUT, ALAS,
SHE IS A
WOMAN

Art: Lenka Simeckova

http://lenkasimeckova.blogspot.com

12

Jill Scharr

Sex, PowEr ANd HIgh SOciEty In dunWALl

ishonoreds prologue is our

first introduction to Dunwall,
and the city is trying its
hardest to make a good first
impression. Its not just the enormous
ships; the tall white walls; the gardens
and soldiers; the painter capturing
the scene. Its the gender politics, too:
a woman rules the empire, with her
daughter as heir. Empress Jessamine
Kaldwin is presented as a ruler entirely
in her own right, without a husband
or consort or other male relative from
which she derives power. And, both
Jessamine and her daughter Emily wear
pants, that long-standing symbol of
feminist equality. If theres anything that
suggests a female ruler is in any way odd
or unusual, its only what we, the players,
bring from our imperfect world into
Dunwalls pseudo-Victorian utopia.
Look, the game is saying, Dunwall is
a wonderful society. You, roleplaying as
the Lord Protector of this empire, are
proud of your home.
Thats what Dunwall, and the architects
at Arkane, want you to think. But
Dishonored is a game about betrayal,
and Dishonored is quick to betray
the utopian vision it worked so hard
to establish in its opening moments.
Jessamines murder is only the first in
a string of outrages, ugly truths, and
unsettling reveals that come to define
Dunwall and the players experience
within it. In fact, Dishonoreds frequent
illustrations of inequality and sexism
have led some critics to label the
game itself as sexist. But Dishonored
doesnt intend to be sexist rather, it
uses sexism as a means of illustrating
Dunwalls decline, of influencing the
players moral choices on their journey.
The Mary-Sues Becky Chambers
writes, Dishonored is fully aware of how
the women within it are treated. It knows
how unfair that treatment is. It knows
how unhappy these women are... So,

yes, the way this game treated women

made me uncomfortable which, I think,
is exactly what it intended to do.
Just as Jessamines position was used
in the prologue to illustrate Dunwalls
apparent fairness and egalitarianism,
through the rest of the game the
treatment of women in all levels of
Dunwall society is used to illustrate just
how far from the Empresss ideal the city
truly is.
At the Hound Pits Pub, Corvo is
introduced to the Loyalist movement, a
group purportedly loyal to the Empresss
memory and to her daughter, Emily.
The three Loyalist leaders come from
the three institutions that dominate
Dunwall: the military, the aristocracy,
and the Overseers, or the authoritative
pseudo-theology. All three are maledominated spaces, if not in theory then
certainly in practice. Only the Heart
gives us some indication that access to
certain professions are indeed regulated
by gender: when pointed at Loyalist
member Callista Curnow, the Heart tells
us that she had wanted to go to sea to
become a whaler, but, alas, she is a

with her, ultimately proving to be

her downfall one way or another. All
assassination targets have specialised kill
animations; for Lady Boyle, Corvo draws
her close as if to embrace her before
thrusting his sword into her stomach
and then laying her body on the ground.
The non-lethal elimination method is
provided by an aristocrat named Lord
Brisby who, purporting to be a lover of
Lady Boyles, offers to keep her safe
with me... forever. As with all the other
assassination targets, the nonlethal
elimination is, if not worse than death, at
least comparable.
Just as Jessamines position is a
narrative tool in the construction of
the idyllic scene in the games opening,
the subsequent treatment of Lady
Boyle, Callista Curnow, and the many
other unnamed women throughout the
rest of Dunwall is a primary means of
illustrating the corruption and chaos that
Corvo is meant to be fighting against.
The game communicates Dunwalls
corruption and cruelty and motivates
Corvo to take action against it by
locating it at or against women. Further,

Dishonored is quick to betray the utopian

vision it worked so hard to establish IN
ITS OPENING MOMENTS

woman. Another woman, a courtesan

at The Golden Cat, can be overheard
saying she was once a clerk for a lord of
parliament, but she lost her job when
the man died of plague.
In the aristocracy, its a bit more
complex. Unlike the military and the
Overseers, there are examples of female
aristocrats, but they exercise their power
in a manner quite different to their male
counterparts. Aside from the Empress,
Lady Boyle is the only female aristocrat
shown to wield any sort of political
power. Shes also the only female
assassination target and the only target
whose exact identity is flexible: in any
given playthrough of Dishonored, the
game randomly selects which of three
Ladies Boyle was directly complicit
in the plot against the Empress. But
whether its bold Esma, talented Lydia,
or paranoid Waverly, her role in the
conspiracy is the same: the financial
backer, and mistress, of the Lord Regent,
Hiram Burrows. Its a passive, supportive
role; not an active one. And Lady
Boyles sexuality-as-power dominates
the entirety of the players interaction

the desire to defend or protect women

from male-dominated cruelty is one of
the driving impetuses for completing
missions and sidequests.
Consider the House of Pleasure
mission, which does its best to goad
the player into violence. In the mission,
players intending to go low-chaos
or non-lethal will have to visit the
Galvani residence, and en route its
nearly impossible to avoid witnessing
two guards harassing a woman over a
vial of elixir. If you stay in hiding, the
woman will be murdered, but if you try
to save her, youll probably have to kill
at least one of the guards and youre all
but certain to be noticed and ruin your
chance at a ghost playthrough. Later,
if you sneak past Custis Pendletons
room, youll hear him threatening to
enact a violent roleplay scenario on
his accompanying courtesan. Now, the
player wont ever witness Custis carrying
through on his threats in purely
mechanical terms, its simply a script
that executes when Corvo gets within
a distance determined to be earshot
but in terms of story, this is the first
13

and only time Custis gets to speak for

himself, the only time he gets to make
any sort of case about his worth as a
character or his role as an agent of the
chaos threatening to envelop Dunwall.
And its not very good. How do we know
that? Through his treatment of women.
Thats Dishonoreds moral choice system
in a nutshell: the game creates situations
where Corvos intentions should be clear,
his actions natural and uncontested,
and then suddenly, brutally, and in a
moment pushes you to reconsider
often, by presenting you with a situation
involving gender disparity.
Its as though Arkane designed the
game using sexualised violence as
a narrative tool to prod Corvo into
retaliating, into breaking away from
the pacifism required by a low chaos
appraoch. But they also designed female
characters to serve as a sort of moral
compass to Corvo. We feel protective
of Emily because she is, as the Heart
says, a pawn in the hands of men. We
learn to hate the Pendleton twins as we
stalk the halls of the brothel, where they
have become infamous. We pity Daud
because he regrets killing the Empress;
but perhaps we kill him anyway because
the Heart protests Am I meant to
forgive this man for what he did? The
gender roles that these characters act
out serve as vessels for the narrative that
propels the games high-level choices.
And just as women often serve as
the catalyst for decision-making, one in
particular also serves as your decisions
tangible results: Emily Kaldwin, the
would-be Empress. The main narrativecentric consequence of the games moral
choices is their effect on Emily not
just whether she lives or dies, but how
she will govern Dunwall for years to
come. These effects are depicted in the
epilogue, as narrated by the Outsider,
but the pictures that Emily draws
throughout the game provide a clue as
to how Corvo is affecting her. In a low
chaos playthrough, Emily perceives
Corvo as a father figure, as illustrated
by a picture of his smiling, unmasked
face that she draws for him. In mid
chaos or high chaos, however, Corvo
becomes more and more disembodied.
Her drawing depicts him as a faceless,
featureless figure standing amidst bodies
and blood. Corvo is not only more
human, but also more masculine, to
Emily when conducting a low chaos, less
violent playthrough.
Dunwall is a society of rigid sexual
inequality, even if the upper echelons
can pretend otherwise. The only
exception is Granny Rags, a former
aristocrat who, at first encounter,
appears to be yet another female victim.
By the end of the game, however, she
Art: Matvey Sapegin
http://sapeginm92.deviantart.com

14

is revealed to have powers similar to

Corvos, and is caught taking revenge
on her tormentors in one of the games
most complicated, and gruesome,
scenes. In that moment, the narratives
of Dunwall society, sexism and
injustice that have been consciously
or unconsciously influencing Corvos
choices fall apart. Up until this point,
Dishonoreds emotional poignancy came
from the series of grim inequalities
and injustices that the Empresss death
revealed to Corvo. Granny Rags is the
first person (other than Corvo himself) to
challenge these uncovered hierarchies,
and the result is a grisly, violent scene.
Along with Daud, Granny Rags provides a
grim example of what happens to those
whom the Outsider favours. Unlike
Daud, however, Granny Rags exercised
her power outside of societal norms, and
as punishment its she, the tormented
old lady, and not the regretful killer-forhire, that appears the most monstrous.
Then theres Corvo. The main character
and vessel for player control, Corvo is a
silent protagonist who fights for and at
the behest of women against the evil
men who seek to control them. Although
obviously male, the first-person
perspective gives us few reminders of his
gender except for the occasional grunt or
a vaguely masculine hand raised into the
screen. Corvo is also an outsider, in more
ways than one: aside from the mystic
powers granted him by the godlike figure
known as the Outsider, Corvo is a native
of Serkonos, an island country that
became part of the Empire. He is also,
as his detractors are quick to point out,
the first non-native of Dunwall to serve
as Imperial Lord Protector. As with the
women of the Empire, Serkonans are
nominally equal to Gristol-born citizens,
though as soon as Corvo comes under
suspicion of murdering the Empress, he
is wont to overhear insults and otherwise
racist speculation about himself and his
background. Its enough to suggest that,
despite Corvos elevated title and social
prestige, his race, as well as his known
closeness with the Empress, precluded
him from involvement in the many
conspiracies he discovers through the
course of the game.
The ambiguity of Corvos social
position- his status as outsider is,
to a large degree, what enables him to
choose how he will behave, thus giving
narrative impetus to the games moral
choices. No matter what decisions we
make, however, its difficult to find a
role for Corvo that doesnt reinforce the
dichotomy of male as aggressor and
female as victim. Low Chaos doesnt
necessarily mean good. Thats how
insidious, how well-crafted, and how
devastating Dunwall society really is.

15

16

DECONSTRUCTING
DUNWALL
As Corvo kills his way through Dishonoreds high society whilst Daud
explores its darker fringes, JUSTIN KEVERNE keeps to the shadows and
OFFERS level design analysis for the entire journey
DISHONORED
18. Prison Break
The Empress Death and the Escape from
Coldridge
20. Whats Your Poison?
The Office of High Overseer Campbell
24. Dunwalls Disorderly House
The Pendleton Twins and the House of
Pleasure

36. Tower Fall

The Assassination of the Lord Regent, Hiram
Burrows
40. The Hangover
Daud, The Whalers, and the Flooded District
42. Home, Sweet Home
Traitors Unmasked at The Hound Pits Pub
46. Friday Night Lights
The Loyalists and the Dichotomy of
Kingsparrow Island

52. Legal Action

Barrister Arnold Timsh and the Legal District
53. The Surge
Overseer Hume and the Home Invasion

THE BRIGMORE WITCHES

54. The Great Escape
Lizzy Stride and the Return to Coldridge
Prison

28. Art is Never Finished

Anton Sokolov and the Heights of Kalwins
Bridge

THE KNIFE OF DUNWALL

56. Gangs of Dunwall

Edgar Wakefield, Nurse Trimble and a Turf
War

32. Death of the Party

A Masquerade Ball with the Three Ladies
Boyle

50. Butcher Bay

Bundry Rothwild and the Slaughterhouse
Row

60. The Death of Art

Delilah Copperspoon and the horrors of
Brigmore Manor

17

Prison Break
Tomorrows execution will be restricted to personnel
assigned to the event and approved dignitaries only.

arely minutes after returning

from a journey across the
breadth of the Empire to seek
help with the rat plague that
has afflicted its capital, Dunwall,
Corvo Attano is forced to watch as the
Empress is killed before him and her young
daughter spirited away. Now six months
later, the morning before his execution,
as preparations are made in the courtyard
beyond his cell window, Corvo is awoken
by a guard who has brought a meal from a
friend. The key that accompanies it at least
indicates that whoever this friend is, they
are keen to see Corvo remain alive.
Outside the claustrophobia of the cell,
the ceiling of Coldridge prison rises into
darkness, the walls disappearing into the
black. Perspective tilts them towards each
other, though youll never see them meet.
The walls of Coldridge are articulated
throughout by vertical beams and long
windows leading your eyes upward,
accentuating the height. Outside, the sky
is a clear pastel blue, but you will need
to look up a long way to see it; from eye
level, there are just the walls and the
inky darkness looming above the lights.
Its heavy, oppressive. What for now is

18

foreboding also serves to foreshadow the

change of dynamic that will occur once you
escape Coldridge. The higher you climb,
the darker it gets, and for the assassin
Corvo is soon to be become, with that
height comes concealment.
After the largely narrative-focused
prologue detailing your return to Dunwall
Tower, Coldridge Prison is ostensibly a
tutorial in the mechanics of stealth and
combat. The basics of the latter were
presented as you attempted to defend the
Empress; here, they will be presented in

a context closer to that in which you will

employ them in subsequent levels.
Without the powers later granted you
by The Outsider, remaining undetected
during your escape from Coldridge requires
an understanding of the importance of line
of sight and the limited role of shadows
when it comes to NPC perceptions. The
last two rooms offer the opportunity to
use the environment to gain an advantage.
Though you cant stay on the pipework
indefinitely, this is a tactic that will prove
vital going forward.
Coldridge is a vertical space
explored horizontally. There
are points at which Corvo
can use the verticality to his
advantage, but only rarely
does he rise above the level
of the lights into the inky
blackness.

Compartmentalised and gated by locked

doors, Corvos path through Coldridge
forms a circle around the Prison Yard and
out to the river. The penultimate location
is actually visible from the cell block you
were detained within.

With the door in pieces, the way

ahead is over the edge and into the water
below. A sewer inlet on the far bank offers
protection and a way out.
Dunwall Sewers extends this lesson
in stealth offered by Coldridge Prison
with an admonishment to be mindful of
your surroundings and to make use of all
available space. If you let them finish their
conversation, the two City Watchmen you
overhear upon entering offer a warning
about the traps you will encounter ahead,
while their own fate serves to explicitly
highlight the dangers presented by the
roving swarms of plague rats. Together, the
rats, locked safes and tripwire-triggered
traps found throughout the sewers
reinforce the benefits of observation
and movement, while an encounter with
patrolling guards in the levels conclusion
highlights the benefit of height when it
comes to remaining undetected.
The path through Dunwall Sewer is a
straight line from one outlet to another,
though variations in height, and the
benefits of such, are clear and frequent. By
sliding under tripwires and dropping down
onto unaware City Watchmen, the sewers
are a lesson in the power offered by Corvos
superior movement abilities. Together,
Coldridge Prison and Dunwall Sewers are
lessons in four of the tenants at the heart
of Dishonored: line of sight, occlusion,
positioning and movement.

your escape from Coldridge requires an

understanding of the importance of line
of sight and the limited role of shadows

Throughout Dunwall Sewer lies

visible detritus of a city in a state of
decay, from the huddled dead bodies
that fled to the sewers to escape the
purges on the streets only to die here
in the gloom, to the apathetic way in
which two City Watchmen abandon
their assigned duties and throw
plague corpses into the sewers for
the rats.

19

Whats Your
Poison?
Half the citys dead with the plague, the other halfs
fighting over whats left.

igh Overseer Thaddeus

Campbell has, in his possession,
a black book which Admiral
Havelock believes contains
the current location of the
missing Emily Kaldwin. Campbell needs
to be located within his offices off Holger
Square, and the black book recovered.
The City Watch has erected Walls
of Light along Clavering Boulevard,
partitioning it and limiting access to Holger
Square. If you are to confront Campbell,
your first objective is to get past them.
Able to vapourise anything not correctly
attuned - the City Watch are required to
charge themselves on a particular device
before their shift - the Walls of Light are
a plague precaution. The effect they have
on rats can be seen if you approach the
first one directly; the swarm that scurries
toward the archway disappears in a flash
of ash and electricity. Fortunately for
Corvo, the Walls of Light can be bypassed
through a variety of means. Once disabled,
the safety of the now inert Wall of Light is
further illustrated by a second rat swarm
that takes this opportunity to escape down
Clavering Boulevard.
Away from Clavering and the few
civilians milling about on the streets, there
is an old woman on a second floor balcony
throwing trash out onto the street and
muttering to herself; Granny Rags. If you
agree to help her with her little problems,
youll need to enter the two secondary
locations accessible from within the
Distillery District. The first of these is the
home of Doctor Galvani, a three storey

20

building on Clavering Boulevard. Your

objective is in his Laboratory on the top
floor, unlocking the doors to which will
require securing a key from the first floor,
a space patrolled by members of the City
Watch acting as household guards.
Dr Galvanis house immediately brings
to mind a style of level familiar from Thief:
The Dark Project; the home of a wealthy
member of Dunwall society whose interior
is split between the public and private
spaces (colloquially the above stairs and
below stairs, respectively). The former are
the areas used primarily by the occupants
of the household. The latter, back rooms
and passageways, the domain of the
servants, can be used to move through
the building unobserved, intersecting with
the public spaces only when necessary.
This separation of space was common in

the three Thief games and is used just as

frequently throughout Dishonored.
With the necessary contagious
specimens of rat viscera obtained, your
next target is the Distillery itself to
contaminate the Bottle Street Gangs
elixir sill. The Distillery is one of the few
locations outside the Sewers where you
will have to worry about environmental
traps, with the Bottle Street Gang being
particularly fond of tripwires.
The streets surrounding Clavering are
sunk into the ground; the buildings tower
above them, limiting vision. Climbing
upwards on ventilation ducts, pipework
and broken balconies, the rooftops offer
a way past the Walls of Light at each end
of Clavering, along with a few surprises of
their own.
Beyond Holger Square, two Overseers

Its darker in the

second part of the
mission, Holger
Square and beyond;
the buildings taller,
the lights less
frequent, and the
rain that little bit
heavier.

can be overheard discussing the Heretics

Brand. More information, along with
the brand itself, can be found in the
Interrogation Room at the far end of the
accessible wing of the building. If you can
render Campbell unconscious and bring
him back to this room, you can use the
brand on him, forcing him to be cast out
of his order and achieving the tasking of
removing him from his position without
killing him. Though his removal is assured,
this is not the last you will see of Thaddeus
Campbell and, despite being strictly nonlethal, this fate is far from pleasant.
The Office of the High Overseer and the
buildings around it are dominated by rigid
forms; vertical lines and right angles, blunt
and formal. The Offices themselves form a
broad U-shape around a central courtyard,
which is cluttered with boxes and various
other objects, all of which are placed no
more than a Blinks distance apart; separate
enough that they lack the overly familiar
dispersal pattern of a cover-based shooter,
but close enough to be functionally useful.
A ledge halfway up the building wall
grants access to windows along the length
of one wing and the central span. The
other wing is sealed off, under repair. The
symbolism of a religion suffering internal
strife is repeated throughout.
Entry to the Office of the High Overseer
can also be achieved via the kennels in the
basement, which are accessible either from
one of the low windows around the edge
of the courtyard or a sewer tunnel on the
road outside.
The exit from the kennels into the
interior of the building is opposite the (not
particularly well-hidden) secret chambers
of High Overseer Campbell. If you earlier
entered the rear-most of the basement
windows overlooking the courtyard, you
will have glimpsed two Overseers within
as they attempted to find the same
black book that you are seeking. If you
disrupt Campbells plan to poison City
Watch Captain Curnow, the two of them
will make their way down here where
Campbell will do the job personally if you
choose not to intervene.
The long interior hallways are patrolled
by Overseers, though their vision isnt
as good as yours. Instead of being a risk,
the clear sight lines available are to your
benefit, granting you the precious moments
necessary to devise and act upon a plan
before you are spotted. The safest way to
move down these corridors is from above.
The metal shaded lights that illuminate the
corridor are positioned almost exactly a
Blinks distance apart, and, combined with
21

the transom windows above each doorway,

they enable you to explore the second
storey of the Office of the Higher Overseer
without ever touching the floor.
Campbell meets Curnow in the room
directly above the main doors. Two glasses
are on the table; Campbell has poisoned
Curnows and you have the opportunity,
while Campbell struggles to find the
correct key, to swap the poison into his
own glass, split it between the two, or
destroy both. If you choose to swap the
poison, Campbells last words are to
demand that Curnow tell the Lord Regent
to destroy the black book, and then die of
plague himself. If Campbell dies here, the
Overseers will suspect Curnow, sparking
a fight between the City Watch and the
zealots. If Curnow is to survive and escape,
as his niece Callista asked of you, then he
will need some help.
The tensions between the City Watch
and the Overseers is a recurring theme.
Two members of the Watch guarding
Clavering previously spoke of their disdain
for the zealots; a disdain tinted with fear.
The events that have brought Curnow to
Campbells office are bizarre. Last night,

the backyard is rife with little

moments of overheard conversation
and snatched insights

Its dark when Samuel

drops you off at the
edge of the Distillery
District; dark and
raining. High above on
the remains of John
Clavering Boulevard
two members of the City
Watch cast bodies into
the barges tethered
below with little regard
for whether they are still
alive or not.

Largely inaccessible
from street level,
a number of the
buildings on
Bloodox Way can
be entered through
their upper floors;
within, you are
greeted with little
tableaux of decay
and misery.

there was an incident involving the City

Watch, Overseers, a prostitute, a lot of ale
and a prank with a runaway chicken. The
result of which was that the alley turned
into a sea of blood and teeth. If you find
the note in Campbells secret chambers, it
reveals he was being blackmailed by one of
the prostitutes who visited him there and
instead of contacting her Madam as he had
been advised to do, he instead instigated
an audacious plan to kill her. Its a plan
that appears to have gone horribly awry,
resulting in his desire to kill Captain Curnow.
With Campbell dealt with, Samuel
can be found waiting for you at the dock
beyond the backyard, having been told
to go there by the now-freed Teague

Martin. You can either leave via the front

of the building which is useful if it has
been necessary to render Captain Curnow
unconscious, as the bin you will need to
leave him in to ensure he survives is outside
the entrance to the backyard or make
your way to the main hall and leave via the
door in the back corner.
The Office of the High Overseer, and
particularly the backyard, is rife with little
moments of overheard conversation
and snatched insights into the lives of
the Overseers. Their venality, corruption
and simply humanity is revealed in the
discoveries you make. From the Overseer
who stole a Bone Charm and hid with it in
a bricked off back room until he starved, to

his compatriot dying of plague and being

killed by his own companion, his willingness
to go to his death markedly different
depending on the Chaos level. This duality
is common to Dishonored, the face of the
nobility as presented to the world undercut
by the reality of events behind the scenes;
the private space serving to reveal the true
nature hidden by the public faade.
High Overseer Campbell takes the
lessons of the first mission and reinforces
them, providing in-context examples of
exactly how useful Blink and your other
powers are when it comes to remaining
undetected. The admonition is clear:
observation is its own reward, and when in
doubt... look up.
23

Dunwalls
Disorderly
House

The main thing is to make sure that little girl, Emily,

comes back all safe and sure.

aving decoded Campbells Black

Book, the Loyalists now know the
location of Emily Kaldwin. She is
being held by Custis and Morgan
Pendleton, twins and elder
brothers of Treavor Pendleton. The twins
have to be removed, and Emily returned
safely to the Hound Pits. Its time to pay a
visit to The Golden Cat bathhouse.
Things have changed, the return visit to
the Distillery District is the first example of
the ways in which the streets of Dunwall
can respond to your actions. The removal of
High Overseer Campbell has led to increased
security along Clavering Boulevard. The first
Wall of Light has been sealed shut and a
Watchtower now stands ahead of it. As you
make your way towards the street level, it
can be seen firing on Weepers fleeing along
the stretch of Clavering that juts out into the
Wrenhaven River. The arc of its searchlight
moves faster than it seems, increasing the
risk of a direct approach down Clavering.
The back alleys around Bottle Street
should be familiar and, whether you follow
Samuels advice to talk to Slackjaw or not,
the Distillery itself is now a Neutral Zone. The
spatial layout of the Distillery hasnt changed
since your last visit, though you will no longer
be sneaking across pipes and roof beams to
reach Slackjaws office below the stairs.
Slackjaw has an offer for you; a secondary

24

means into the Golden Cat, provided you

help him. This will require locating one of
his men within the office of Dr Galvani. In
an inversion of the distribution seen during
the previous visit, the first floor is now
deserted, the City Watch more concerned
with the laboratory upstairs and the dead
body sprawled across the table. Recover the
recording from beside the body, return it to
the Distillery and Slackjaw will have another
offer for you.
If you have not been keeping an eye on
your surroundings, turning down Bloodox
Way will instigate an attack by a trio of
masked assassins. An approach from the

rooftops, or judicious use of Dark Vision,

will allow you to observe them waiting
in the apartments overlooking the road.
Blink provides a means of gaining a height
advantage, enabling you to deal with them
individually in the manner you choose.
The carts parked on the tram lines
running the length of Clavering have
shifted from their prior position. Closer
now to the second Wall of Light, they
can be used to close the distance without
revealing yourself. This easier approach
to the Wall of Light and its power source
is counterbalanced by the presence of a
second Watchtower beyond, overlooking

the approach to the Golden Cat. If you have

recovered the information for Slackjaw the
key he provided will open the first floor door
of the abandoned hotel opposite the guard
station, ascending to the top floor avoiding
the swarms of rats will allow you to enter
the area around the Golden Cat from the
rooftops opposite. Otherwise, your only
option is the street level entrance.
The Golden Cat is a gorgeous faade. The
blatant asymmetry, the curved ironwork,
everything about it demands to be looked
at. Standing on the edge of the water, it is a
stark contrast to the buildings surrounding
it. For all its gaudy excess, the Golden Cat
is, on closer inspection, more reserved than
it initially appears. Despite its curves, the
ironwork along the balconies and overhangs
retains a formal symmetry; the building
wants to be noticed, but only within the
confines of what is acceptable within
Dunwall society.
Compared to the Office of the High
Overseer, the Golden Cat is immediately
more inviting, yet no less intimidating in its
own way. The curved balconies and varied
height towers make it difficult to parse the
layout; even inside, reading the space and
the available ways to move through it can be
initially daunting.
From the opposite rooftops, your eyes
are naturally drawn to the open window

For all its gaudy excess, the Golden

Cat is, on closer inspection, more
reserved than it initially appears

In such a densely
populated urban
environment, The
Golden Cat is profligate
in its use of space. Set
back from the road,
space that elsewhere in
the city is at a premium
is taken up with an
extravagant garden.

25

above the second floor balcony, the visible

red of the interior contrasting with the bluegrey metal of the window and the cream
of the surrounding walls. The metal vent
clutching the side of the building adjacent
draws a straight line to it at eye level,
presenting a clear entry point; though this
is far from the only means of ingress. Upon
reaching this first open window, it becomes
clear that those adjacent to and on the floor
above can be opened also. The windows
along the top floor of the main building
open onto a corridor that wouldnt look out
of place in any other building in Dunwall;
dirty wooden floors and peeling plaster
replace the rich red and gold wallpaper
glimpsed though the open window on the
floor below. There are three bedrooms off
this attic corridor; young Emily Kaldwin can
be found in one of these, having already
formulated her own escape plan.
Possessing either a rat in the garden or
one of the hagfish in the river will open up
a route into the basement level bathroom
of The Golden Cat, where two of the
Courtesans can be overheard discussing their
dislike of the Pendletons. As is frequently
the case with animal possession, the areas it
grants access to are those that constitute the
below stairs spaces of the level.

Climb over the roof

to the far side and
the faade of The
Golden Cat falls
away, with plain
walls and a single
unadorned balcony.
This is the face The
Golden Cat presents
to the river.

dirty wooden floors and peeling

plaster replace the rich red and
gold wallpaper

The higher you ascend

the central tower, the
more open and organic
the space within
becomes.

In the private areas behind the russet

faade, the rooms are small and barren,
but the public areas are extravagant in their
use of space with the main tower itself built
around a hollow core devoid of interior walls.
Traditionally, ascent is slower than
descent, but not so in Dishonored. The
ability to Blink instantaneously to a rooftop
or street light dramatically opens up the
available space. Its as efficient for Corvo to
Blink to a balcony as it is to walk in a straight
line. The central tower of the Golden Cat is
an example of the type of vertically layered
space that would be dangerous in games
where options for movement were more
limited. With City Watch patrolling each floor
and the doors to the balconies open, there
are a wealth of intersecting sight lines for a
building interior. Without the ability to rapidly
move in the vertical dimension, this would
present a significant challenge for anybody
attempting to remain undetected.
Not only are these myriad sight lines
less risky than they might otherwise be,
they actually serve to directly empower
Corvo. Surrounded on three sides by water,
the balconies and windows of the Golden
Cat provide a rapid means of escape and
repositioning. A Blink through a doorway
or out a window will deposit you in the

water below, providing the moment of

breathing room necessary to revaluate;
an improvisation that serves to encourage
intentional play.
The location of the two Pendletons within
is different each time you enter this level.
Sometimes its possible to deal with both of
them without even entering the building; the
balconies and ledges adorning the towers
exterior granting access to many of the
tower rooms from the outside. The location
of the Pendletons can be discerned through
a variety of means. Record books found
on the front desk and the Madams office
will list their location, while a number of
conversations can be overheard that provide
the same information.
If you are working for Slackjaw, the art
dealer Bunting can be found within the
Silver Room on the second floor, as this
is the only one outfitted for his particular
proclivities. Extracting the necessary
information from him is trivial, though care
should be taken when entering or exiting the
Silver Room; its soundproofed nature means
there is only one way in and the patrols of
the City Watch on this floor can bring them
close to the door.
The central space of the Golden Cat
is composed of four distinct planes, two

floors and two sets of metal lattices forming

suspending ceilings. On the second floor, this
lattice takes the form of a complete torus
around the centre chamber. On the floor
above, the width of the space is extended the
lattice work here forming separate quarter
and half circle pieces suspended from the
high roof, the spaces between dotted with
plants that obscure sight lines.
With either the Pendletons dealt with
or Buntings safe code in your possession,
its time to leave. Emilys original plan of
escaping by the VIP exit is a rapid way of
returning to the Distillery District. If you were
able to persuade Bunting to part with the
code to his safe, a return visit to Slackjaw will
ensure that the Pendletons are dealt with.
Or, you could clear out Buntings safe before
ever handing over the code. Whatever you
choose, Samuel will be waiting with Lady
Emily once you have finished your business
in the Distillery District.
By the time you reach the Golden Cat, its
likely you will have acquired and upgraded
several of your powers and the opportunities
for using such abilities as Possession or Bend
Time are consequently more numerous. The
House of Pleasure is the point at which you
will begin to define your own approach using
the powers available.
27

Art is Never
Finished
Citizens and visitors to our city, by order of the
Regent, the curfew is now active!

he loss of the Pendletons support

in parliament will not be enough
to weaken the Lord Regent, he
still has the financial backing
of his mistress. Its rumoured
that Sokolov, the inventor responsible for
the technology appearing across Dunwall,
once painted her and so should be able to
confirm her identity. Its time to locate and
kidnap the Royal Physician.
Disembarking as the sun sets, the parts
of Kaldwins Bridge open to the west are
bathed in sunlight. The distinction between
the lighting on the different faces of the
bridge is used at several points along
your path to signpost alternate routes. A
darkened alley leading off the brightly lit
road on the Southside Bridgeway leads to
a gantry hanging below the eastern side of
the bridge. Further along Drawbridge Way,
a shaft of light on the darkened buildings
highlights a gap between two houses that
provides a means of reaching the rooftops.
Limited by the width and linearity of
the bridge, the path to your objective
requires making use of the full extent of
the vertical and horizontal dimensions.
Each section affords three principle routes
forward; the straight path along the road is
the most direct and least subtle. Climbing
up to move forward is a common theme in
Dishonored and the rooftops of Kaldwins
Bridge are littered with explorable rooms
and shortcuts. The third route is to move
down, below the road, using the suspended
gantries, stanchions, or even the river itself
to create a path forward.
The clearest example of these multiple
routes can be seen in the first section, the

28

Southside Bridgeway. Ascent is necessary to

progress after you pass the first City Watch
patrol - though once you have located the
Warehouse Key, you can return to street
level. Paralleling the street above the water,
a tramline joins this warehouse to the
building opposite. A tank of whale oil will
restore the power, opening the doors and
electrifying the rail. Whichever way you
choose to exit the warehouse, once outside
you can drop into the water and swim to the
next stanchion, scaling it behind the guard
station. The darkened alley halfway along
the road leads to the gantry on the eastern
face of the bridge from where you can climb
a chain to locate a rune, or Blink down to the

At numerous points
along Kaldwins Bridge,
you will find yourself
pushed out to the sides
or down to the waters
surface. Each occurrence
reinforces your position
relative to the water.
Hanging out over the
side, you can see the
rest of the bridge
curving to the left ahead
of you.

Waterlock for a Bone Charm and a way back

up to street level.
Kaldwins Bridge sees a collision of the
old and the new, the wealthy and the
destitute; the public and private aspects of
Dunwall society compressed into the limited
space offered by the bridge, intersecting
and merging. Deserted warehouses and
abandoned apartments flank expensively
appointed buildings along Drawbridge Way,
with some, like the home of Pratchett - of
Pratchetts Jellied Eels - still occupied.
Within Pratchetts bedroom is a locked
safe, a note revealing that the truth is in
the paintings; numbers within each when
arranged in the correct order provide the

Kaldwins Bridge sees a collision of

the old and the new, the wealthy
and the destitute

combination. This puzzle is possibly a

reference to a similar one found on the
Recreation Deck of the Von Braun in System
Shock 2.
Your journey along Kaldwins Bridge is
marked by a number of first encounters.
The tesla coil-like Arc Pylons that guard the
near and far sides of the drawbridge are
controlled and powered in a similar manner
to the alarms and Walls of Light. Though
youll have met the Overseers already,
one of those you find within Sokolovs
apartment is carrying a Music Box. When
operated, they make it impossible to use
any of your powers. Near the waterline
on the far side of the drawbridge, a new
addition to the fauna of Dunwall can be
found, the aggressively territorial specimen
of mollusc known as River Krusts.
The drawbridge is raised when you
approach, a control room in the nearest
tower will allow you to alter its position.
Alternatively, you can scale the towers
framework to reach the raised platform or
find a way across the support beams above.
Attached to the shorter of the support
towers, on the far side of the drawbridge,
a quartet of spotlights illuminate the river
below. These will need to be disabled if
Samuel is to pick you up closer to Sokolovs
apartment. Thick cables can be traced from
them to a caged room within the tower;
there, they draw power from a pair of whale
oil tanks. The blue-white oil has splattered

If you can get onto the

roof of the collapsed
building opposite
Sokolovs, its possible
to Blink onto the
catwalk surrounding his
greenhouse.

Inside Sokolovs, the

open floor space has
been given over to a
workshop, a painting of
Lady Boyle standing in
the centre of the space,
along with a number
of half-assembled
examples of Sokolov
technology - including a
miniature Wall of Light.

29

the floor below, dripping down onto the

lower levels and staining the metalwork.
Similar stains can be found wherever
whale oil is frequently used; knowing to
look for these stains will prove helpful in
subsequent levels.
Sokolov has made his apartment within
a warehouse on the north end of Kaldwins
Bridge. Leaning out over the water east of
the road its brick faade is more intact than
its neighbours and has been augmented
with external platforms and stairways of
metal; platforms now patrolled by members
of the City Watch. Sokolov himself can be
found within his new greenhouse at the very
top of the structure.
Many of the surrounding buildings
have collapsed some time ago, their floors
and walls piles of rubble strewn across
the street. Along the eastern side, closer
to Sokolovs, the buildings appear better
maintained, though on closer inspection
even these are little more than shells. The
floors and ceiling having given away and
they are just as uninhabitable.
With few exceptions, any available
space within the warehouse large enough
to accommodate it has been turned toward
one of Sokolovs many talents, from art to
scientific inquiry. The main living areas of

any available space within the

warehouse has been turned toward
one of Sokolovs many talents

The various catwalks

and stairways within the
abandoned warehouse
at the north end of
Midrow Substation
have become a home
both for those escaping
the plague and the
rats responsible for
spreading it.

the apartment are built on metal supports

and occupy the space between the first
floor workshop and the rafters. The walls
of these rooms dont reach the sloped roof,
leaving them open from above. If you want
to interact with - or acquire - anything from
within, you will be able to observe them from
a concealed position in the rafters before
choosing to make your move.
Sokolovs bedroom laboratory is a half
level higher than the other living areas
and accessible from inside only by a short
enclosed corridor at the south end of the
building. Reaching this corridor will require
you to bypass a pair of Walls of Light
partitioning off the end of the living space.
Fortunately, neither of these barriers extend
beyond the top of the walls. The lone guard
protecting the whale oil tanks is easily dealt
with, though stashing his body in a location
where it will not be noticed could present
problems.
Two City Watchmen patrol the hallway
beyond the connecting corridor, the glass
walls of Sokolovs bedroom allowing them to
observe anybody within. Directly opposite
the door, a red glow highlights the pipework

beneath the floor. Through this space, you

can enter without using the bedroom door.
A set of stairs at the north end of the
bedroom lead outside and up to the
greenhouse. Sokolov can be found within,
recording notes on his latest experiment;
the subject of which is locked in a cage in
the corner. Sokolov will talk to you if you
approach and, as he will not call for his
guards, rendering him unconscious is a
straightforward matter. Given his reaction
to your appearance, combined with the
extensive presence of both the City Watch
and Overseers, its possible that Sokolov is at
once both under protection and under guard.
An elevator at the far end of the hallway
outside his bedroom can be used to return
to the front entrance, though it will require
a whale oil tank to operate. One can be
acquired from the security devices within
the building, or the dispensers in Sokolovs
bedroom laboratory.
Carrying Sokolov, you can still use any of
your powers or items with the exception
of possession - but your sword will have to
remain sheathed. With the Royal Physician
rendered unconscious, its time to return to

Samuel. Now that the security lights have

been disabled, he has brought his boat to
dock next to one of the stanchions below
Sokolovs apartment.
The route from the Southside Bridgeway
to the apartment of Sokolov is a journey
through the different aspects of Dunwall, a
visual trip through its history and the impact
of both the plague and the works of the
Royal Physician upon its present, the latter
writ large in the technology that dominates
throughout.
The linearity of Kaldwins Bridge belies
the wealth of encounters and paths you can
discover along its length. You will now have
a variety of powers and its time to use them.
The routes through each section, though
fitting broadly into three general forms, are
as varied as your powers. Do you use your
upgraded Blink to scale the buildings and
leap between rooftops, or do you Possess
one of the City Watch and blithely walk
pass all defences? Do you bypass the Arc
Pylons with stealth and guile, or brute force?
The powers are those you have chosen and
Kaldwins Bridge is the perfect sandbox in
which you can use them.
31

Death of
the Party
Half the city can see the lights from the party, and
they dream of the delights inside.

ven if the exact nature of the

relationship is not common
knowledge, its clear one or
more of the Ladies Boyle is
important to the Lord Regent.
The City Watch are out in force, including
a detachment of Tallboys. The stilted
walkers can be seen as you approach,
raining explosive bolts down on Weepers
as they attempt to cross the canal outside
the Boyle Estate.
Through the previous levels, the
clocktower has stood as a landmark on
the Dunwall skyline, that distant structure
helping to position each area of the city in
relation to the others. Dropped off on the
canal by Samuel, the clocktower stands
tall directly ahead of you, still unreachable
but closer than it has ever been. The Boyle
Estate is in the centre of Dunwall, far
from the Wrenhaven River where he other
missions have taken place; though still
connected to it by the canal.
The high walls surrounding the Boyle
Estate present an imposing visage,
particularly with the Tallboy stomping
along the street outside. Fortunately, they
can be reached with a Blink from the top
of one of the street lamps, allowing you to
drop into the garden on the far side and
make your way unmolested into the party.
If you broke into Buntings home during
the House of Pleasure mission, you may
have found his invitation to the party. Give
this to the City Watch officer at the door
and he will let you walk right in. Apparently,
Bunting himself has already attempted
to gain entry only to be ejected. The

32

other guests are just as careless with their

invitations; one of the group gossiping
outside the front door allows hers to blow
away. If you dont already have one, you can
recover and use it in her stead.
Standing separate within the grounds
of the Boyle estate, built from the same
brick as the main house, the guard tower
is crumbling from within. On the upper
floor, accessible now only by climbing the
chain through the remains of the collapsed
floors, two balconies project from adjacent
walls. One overlooks the upper terrace
of the Boyle Estate, while the other faces
toward the canal. If you can reach this

tower, you can Blink across the gardens to

the upper terrace, and avoiding the City
Watchman guarding it, enter the second
floor bedroom of Esma Boyle.
The guard tower can also be accessed
through the barracks window. The houses
overlooking the canal were once the homes
of the citys affluent, their faded wallpaper
and carved bannisters signs of a wealth
rarely seen in other parts of Dunwall. The
apartment on the top floor opens onto an
alley between it and the wall surrounding
the Boyle Estate. Scale the pipework
attached to the wall and you can reach the
window of the guard barracks.

The streets
surrounding the
Boyle estate feel
like they inhabit
a different
world, poorly
illuminated
compared to the
extravagance
that neighbours
them they almost
fade into the
background.

Possession provides a way to avoid the

patrolling Tallboys. Such a route will allow
you to enter the private below stairs
space of the Boyle Estate, in this instance
both figuratively and literally, as possessing
one of the hagfish in the canal will let you
enter the basement of the Boyle Estate.
The interior shows the extravagance
of the disgustingly wealthy; even stealing
the purses from the belts of the guests is
brushed aside by most as simply the done
thing. One even jokes that theyve had
additional pockets sewn into their clothes
to hide all the things theyll acquire by
the time the party is over. The City Watch
and the few Overseers responsible for
maintaining order are not as forgiving, but
provided you are not seen by them you
can part the guests from their possessions
with impunity.
Esma, Lydia or Waverly... one of the
three sisters is the Lady Boyle you are
looking for. Before you can decide what to
do to prevent her continued financing of
the Lord Regent, you will need to identify
her and determine which outfit she is
wearing. The sister you are after and the
outfit she will be wearing are randomly
determined when you first enter the Boyle
Estate interior, meaning no two visits will
play out exactly the same.
Wandering the party is the Lord Brisby,
who will approach Corvo admitting that
he knows who he is and begging that Lady
Boyle be allowed to live. Brisby is in love
with her and in exchange for telling you
her name, he promises to take her away
forever. Handing Lady Boyle over to her
stalker is easily the most unsettling nonlethal means of removing one of your
targets. If you choose this path, you will
need to bring the unconscious Lady Boyle
to his boat in the cellar.
Lord Brisby knows the name of the Lady
Boyle you are looking for, while another
guest, Miss White, who can be identified by
her fly head mask, has worked out which
sister is wearing which outfit. Together,
these pieces of information are enough to
identify your target and without them you
will need to access the restricted second
floor of the Boyle estate.
Evidence within the bedrooms of the
Boyle sisters will reveal which is the Lord
Regents mistress and financial backer.
The rooms of each of the Ladies Boyle are
furnished in a different colour, though there
is no connection between that colour and the
colour of the outfit they are wearing. Each
sisters bedroom is decorated with paintings
hanging from the walls, with the Lady Boyle
you have come for having an original Sokolov

of the Lord Regent himself. Furthermore, he

has left a note for her, describing the outfit
shell be wearing along with an item hes given
her to ensure nothing will come between
them. The latter is a master key that will open
every door in Dunwall Tower, something that
will prove useful when you make your move
against the Lord Regent himself.
Esma is the easiest sister to identify; her
room is the most accessible so determining
whether shes the correct Lady Boyle can be
achieved quickly. Lydia Boyle presents the
biggest challenge to confirming her identity,
as her room is the most isolated from those
of her sisters.
Esmas room can be reached directly from
the back stairs or from the terrace outside.
A hidden panel in her room unlocked and
illuminated by pulling a cord by the door
opens into an attic space that connects
Esmas bedroom to Waverlys. The bedroom
of the third Boyle sister, Lydia, can be found
on the far side of the entrance foyer.
If you want to deal with Lady Boyle
quietly, the best approach is to talk to her
and attempt to persuade her to follow you.
Each of the sisters has a different motivation
that you can exploit. Lydia Boyle is one of

34

A large gallery
occupies the
space between the
bedrooms of Esma
and Waverley.Within
can be found one of
Sokolovs paintings;
in this case, the
esteemed Vera Moray,
who you may know
better as Granny Rags.

Handing Lady Boyle over to her

stalker is easily the most unsettling
of the non-lethal means

Stepping into the Boyles

home is to be bathed in
golden opulence.

Lord Shaw waits on the

lawn for word from Lord
Pendleton. If you choose
to deliver Treavors letter,
Shaw challenges you to
a duel; though you dont
need to play fair.

the best musicians in all of Gristol and can

be convinced to follow you to the music
room. The third sister, Esma, is interested in
more carnal pleasure and can be persuaded
to join you in her bedroom. Depending on
your approach, each of the sisters can also
be convinced to meet you in the cellar. This
is also true of Waverly, the youngest and
most serious of her siblings, whose paranoia
can be twisted to convince her to follow you
anywhere of your choosing.
Its possible to fail in your attempt to
convince Lady Boyle to follow you, in
which case youll need to adopt a different
approach. By watching her movements
through the party, you should be able to
intercept her when she enters an otherwise

deserted location.
Upon exiting the Boyle Estate, one of
the Tallboys patrolling the far bank of the
canal will have moved, forcing Samuel to
retreat beyond the furthest gate. If you move
fast enough, you can swim under before it
closes, otherwise you will need to avoid the
sweeping search lights of the Tallboys to
reach him from street level.
The Boyle Estate is a study in
superficiality.The three sisters have chosen
to present near-identical visages to their
guests, but underneath they are in conflict,
their individual personalities fuelling distrust
and paranoia. Similarly, the bright lights
and glamour of the party conceals the
venality and corruption beneath, the guests

gossiping about the sexual proclivities of their

neighbours rub shoulders with others trying
to trick their companions into being arrested
for treason.
Unlike previous levels, the infiltration of
the Boyle Estate is not the climax of hours of
exploration. Rather, its one of your first tasks.
To this end, the layout of the neighbouring
streets serves not to guide you to the door
of the Boyle Estate. Instead, it allows you to
poke at its perimeter and discover where its
weak points can be exploited. Once inside,
Lady Boyles Last Party sees an inversion
of the traditional use of public and private
spaces. You are safe as long as you remain
in the in the open, though doing so greatly
limits your available actions.
35

Tower Fall
If the Empress had been as well guarded - how
different things would be now.

he time is now. Teague Martin is

the new High Overseer, Treavor
Pendleton controls the largest
voting bloc in parliament and
limited finances have forced the
Lord Regent to pull the City Watch away
from the Wrenhaven River. Its time for the
reign of Hiram Burrows to end.
With nobody on the inside to raise
the water lock, you will need to climb to
ground level from the Wrenhaven River.
Red lighting and trim along platform edges
highlight a path behind the walls into the
inner workings of the lock.
Avoid the observation deck and move
out to the exterior of the water lock and
you can use the gantries and pipes there
to scale the walls to the roof and, in a
moment of irony, re-enter the grounds
using the same route the true assassins of
the Empress did six months ago.
Leaving the water lock, you pass either

36

across, or above, the area where you once

played hide and seek with young Emily
Kaldwin, a patch of ground now patrolled
by a Tallboy. If you climb up the pipework
near the cliff edge, you can drop into the
bushes around the gazebo, the scene of
the Empress murder. Within, a City Watch
guard is spending some quiet moments
with a maid, for whom he clearly harbours
romantic feelings.
In the spot where the Empress fell, a
plaque has been erected. Approaching
it will trigger a hauntingly melancholy
musical cue. Interacting with the Heart
at this point offers nothing specific, but
the things it does have to say regarding
Dunwall Tower further reinforce the idea
that it is the heart and soul of the late
Empress Jesamin Kaldwin.
The grounds are contained on two sides
by the waters of the Wrenhaven River,
on one by Dunwall Tower itself and on

the other by the bulk of Coldridge Prison.

Unlike The Golden Cat, there are not as
many opportunities to use the water to
escape and reposition. Its a long drop to
the river below and, if you survive, theres
only one way back to ground level. The City
Watch guards may have stopped looking
for you by then, but you are unlikely to be
in a better tactical position.
Dunwall Tower has changed in the
six months since you were there last.
The gardens and courtyards of the Royal
residence are covered now with guard
posts, metal crawling like fungus up the
walls exaggerating the asymmetry of
the underlying structure. The Broadcast
Control tower, from which the Lord Regent
transmits his propaganda, grows like a
tumour from the taller tower, while in its
shadow catwalks and watchtowers have
been erected overlooking the main road
into the tower grounds; a route now sealed.

Harsh spotlights illuminate the route

from the water lock to the tower entrance;
all except one, which has been tilted away
from to illuminate a structure squatting
at the foot of the tower away from the
majority of the newer additions. This is the
pump house for the moat that separates
the tower from the grounds. The Engineer
within is no friend to the Lord Regent and
will show you the means of accessing
the moat in return for sparing his life. A
book found on his table details Burrows
Lighthouse on Kingsparrow Island, a
location that will have an important role to
play in later events.
The moat is teeming with Hagfish.
Possesses one and you can swim through a
small grate at the water level into a scullery
off the main foyer. Once again, Possession
allows rapid access to the private spaces of
the building. Using the moat, you can cross
the grounds and reach the guard barracks
in the shadow of the Broadcast Control
tower.
Running around the length of the
building, a ledge can be used to reach a
maintenance duct into the building interior,
part of which has been covered with
barbed wire thereby making it impossible
to reach. Fortunately, the unprotected
portion is within a Blink distance of the
catwalks overlooking the road into the
grounds.
Inside the foyer, an imperial stair rises to
the second floor a single flight branching
at a landing into two flights that meet
again at the next floor. On this second
floor, the main hallway leading further into
the tower is blocked by a Wall of Light. The
controls and power supply are located in a
small side room. This room also connects
to the servants quarters which take up this
entire wing of the first and second floors.
The primary corridor in this area runs the
full length of the building, from the kitchen
on the first floor to the stairs down to the
Royal Interrogators chambers. Two guards
within can be overheard muttering about
the various noises that frequently emanate
from that basement room. A doorway at
the end of this corridor opens back into
the central chamber, the private spaces
bypassing and intersecting the public ones.
A larger imperial style staircase
dominates the centre of the building, a
single flight rising to a landing overlooking
the central chamber, converted now into
a museum. From there, two flights rise
on either side to meet in a combined
landing on the third floor directly in front
of the double doors of the Lord Regents
bedroom. Depending on your actions prior

to reaching this point, the Wall of Light

between the landing and the Lord Regents
bedroom may be active or inactive.
Most of the chandeliers in Dunwall
Tower are unlit, the lighting primarily
provided by the harsh lights of the City
Watch security devices or, more frequently
on the third floor, by candles and
fireplaces. The diffuse oranges and yellows
create a lower contrast between light and
shadow, making movement at floor level
consequently more challenging.
Hidden behind a fireplace in the corner
of the third floor is a secret room, once
used by the Empress and apparently
undiscovered since her death. Within is a
recording meant for her daughter, along
with a note for Corvo himself.
An Arc Pylon has been erected inside

the stairwell to the Broadcast Control

tower. Upon reaching the top, the public
announcer can be confronted and will
reveal that the Lord Regent has kept his
memoirs, including details of his role in the
plague sweeping across Dunwall, within the
safe inside his bedroom; the combinations
for which he will provide. Obtaining these
recordings and broadcasting them across
Dunwall will reveal the Lord Regents
crimes, causing either his arrest or murder
at the hands of the City Watch within
Dunwall Tower.
The movement of the Lord Regent
through the tower triggers a number of
changes in the state of certain parts of the
level. Initially, the Wall of Light on the third
floor landing outside his bed chambers
is disabled, the whale oil depleted. If you
37

have intercepted or otherwise delayed

the man sent to replace the tank, the Lord
Regent will comment on this on his way
to his bedroom. Once the Lord Regent has
entered his bedroom, the Overseer with
the Music Box who accompanies him down
from the roof will patrol the third floor with
his wolfhound.
The music room next to his bedroom
is connected by a shared fireplace. The
fire within can be dowsed by a Windblast.
Blinking or sliding through are still possible,
though you will take some damage. The
roof, containing the Lord Regents safe
room, can be reached by the stairway off
the music room. The light by the door to
the safe room indicates its occupancy,
while the Tallboy patrolling inside is a
challenge to avoid as reaching the Lord
Regent himself will put you directly in its
path.
A return to the place that was once
your home and a final confrontation with
the Lord Regent, the changes that have
occurred to Dunwall Tower mirror those
seen across Dunwall in the months since
the plague began. Your actions here will
mark a major step on the path to salvation

If you have set off

an alarm during
your approach to
the Tower, the Lord
Regent will remain
in his Safe Room on
the roof instead
he will also flee
there if the alarm is
sounded within the
Tower itself.

the changes to Dunwall Tower

mirror those seen across Dunwall in
the months since the plague began

A balcony overlooks the

entrance foyer; Blink
to one the chandeliers
hanging above and
you can enter the
Lord Regents private
chambers without
having to explore the
rest of the tower.

Visible to the north is

the clock tower in the
heart of Dunwall, nearer
now than in some levels
but further that it was
during your infiltration
of the Boyle Estate.

or damnation for the city and its populace.

Within the tower walls, the movements
of certain NPCs will cause changes in the
environment that can be used to your
advantage. The City Watchman carrying
the whale oil tank to repower the Wall
of Light on the third floor can be turned
into walking bomb or, if slowed down, can
render the Wall of Light inactive for longer.
The security in place around and within
Dunwall Tower has been erected to protect
against the most obvious vectors of attack,
not from somebody with the powers of
The Outsider. The layered security and the
multiple Walls of Light between the main
doors and the Lord Regents bedroom
would keep him safe from a direct assault,
but against somebody with the ability to
use the vertical space in a way no normal
assassin could, their placement offers little
protection. Provided you have avoided
detection, reaching and dealing with the
Lord Regent can be one of the easiest task
you will have been given.

Either via the

communications
device in the foyer,
or in person, you
have the option to
confront the Lord
Regent himself and
can choose to reveal
your identity or keep
him in the dark.

39

The Hangover
Here you are at last in, a ruined and drowning world.

etrayed, stripped of your

possessions and left for
dead, you begin lying in a pit
somewhere within the district
of Dunwall once known as
Rudshore. Even with the hole above you
boarded over, there are still numerous
ways to escape. If you have Possession,
theres at least one rat sharing your cell
that will enable you to escape down the
drain. Alternatively, the small collection of
rocks around you can be used to smash the
wooden beams, as can Windblast.
Rudshore is a mess. Nestled in the
shadow of the rest of Dunwall and once
the financial district, it was gutted by the
waters of the Wrenhaven when the flood
barriers broke. With the buildings and
offices abandoned, the Flooded District,
as it is now known, has become a home
to Weepers, River Krusts and a band of
assassins led by the mysterious Daud. Clad
in industrial garb stolen from the whale oil
processing plants on the edge of the water,
these assassins are known simply as The
Whalers.
Theres a dead Overseer in the cell

40

next to you and a number of items and

documents scattered across the tables in
the room you find yourself in. Until you
recover your own equipment, you can use
one of the Whalers swords or that of the
unfortunate Overseer.
Overhead, the clouds are low and thick.
The wan sunlight filtering through casts the
Flooded District in sickly yellow green pall.
Long shadows fall where the light cannot
reach, making everything harder to see,
especially at ground level. At points, the
miasma is cut through by the harsh bluewhite of spilt whale oil.
Where other levels would subtly
encourage exploiting their verticality, the
restricted movement options at ground
level make that decision more explicitly
useful here. The water isnt so deep as to
present a direct hazard, but it is inhabited
and has strong currents that can take you
away from your intended destination if
youre not careful. One of these currents is
also used to discourage exploring beyond
the bounds of the level. This direction is
also muted and empty, compared to the
bright blue white sheen that coats the

water at the other end of the road; whale oil

runoff from the Greaves Refinery.
The first two sections of The Flooded
District present more environmental
challenges than directly confrontational
ones. Moving deeper in Rudshore, you
enter the territory of the Whalers; their
ability to perform Blink-like Transversals
allows them to cover a lot of ground and
makes their patrols routes hard to follow.
As you move further into their territory,
it becomes much more important to be
aware of what is above you. With their
enhanced movement abilities, the Whalers
can make use of the vertical dimension in
much the same manner that you can.
The assassin leader, Daud, has made his
home within the Chamber of Commerce
building. Only with his key will you be able
to leave the area. Dauds fate is up to you;
he can be silently assassinated or choked
unconscious, though, as another touched
by The Outsider, he is immune to a range
of your supernatural powers and choosing
to attack him openly will initiate a duel.
Beyond the territory of the Whalers,
the City Watch has been using the

Rudshore Gate area to dispose of any

plague victims they have rounded up.
Whether those who crawled out of the
canal bed into the surrounding buildings
are survivors or Weepers depends on your
Chaos level up to this point.
Between you and your escape from
the Flooded District is a blasted field of
rubble and desolation patrolled by the
aggressive Tallboys. The rail line above
will allow you to bypass the worst of the
destruction, provided you can get to one of
the rooftops high enough to drop onto the
train car when it returns with its next glut
of plague victims.
The buildings that havent been gutted
have been boarded up, arrayed in front
of one are a number of unpowered
searchlights. What whale oil the City
Watch has is needed for the Wall of Light
guarding Rudshore Gate itself and the Arc
Pylons in the back alley, whose presence
is preventing the inhabitants of the nearby
buildings from escaping. If they are still
alive, you can choose to help them by
disabling the Arc Pylons and allowing them
to flee. Stealing one of the whale oil tanks
and using it to power the searchlights will
draw the Tallboys away from their patrols
to bombard the buildings. With their
attention diverted, you can make a dash for
the Wall of Light.
If you use the Heart during your passage
though the Old Sewers, it takes on a
desperate tone, describing with an insight
it doesnt fully comprehend details of the
events that followed your betrayal at The
Hounds Pits.
If you have interacted with Granny Rags
previously, there is one final encounter
before you return to the streets of Dunwall.
Her conflict with Slackjaw has reached its
conclusion; he is finally in her clutches,
chained and about to be devoured.
Cast adrift, alone in a hostile
environment, between your escape a legion
of assassins with powers akin to your own,
the Flooded District is Dishonored at its
most alien and unsettling. From the sickly
green shroud hanging across Rudshore,
to the War of the Worlds-evoking field of
Tallboys little looks like anything youll have
seen before. This is still Dunwall, but in a
state of decay and disease the other parts
of the city could only hint at.
Few other levels so explicitly require
the use of your powers for the simple act
of navigation. With the roads underwater
and the buildings populated by Weepers
and Whalers, escaping the muddled, halfcollapsed streets of the Flooded District is a
test of both skill and patience.

The Whaler with the

responsibility to train new
members has some lines that
might sound familiar, repeating
as they do the training dialogue
from Thief: The Dark Project.

From the metal gantry

atop the Greaves
Refinery, you can
look across Rudshore
to the white walls
of the Chamber of
Commerce. It is here
that the Whalers have
made their base of
operations, under
the leadership of the
mysterious Daud.

Weepers have made

the central well of the
Greaves Refinery their
home, including one
you may remember. If
you chose to spare the
life of High Overseer
Campbell, he can be
found here. Having
contracted the plague,
he is now a Weeper and
will wander the floor
near your equipment.

41

Each time you return

to the Hound Pits
the colouration is
slightly different, the
time of day reflected
in the play of light
and shadows across
the buildings.

Home,
Sweet Home
Emily was there when the killing started, poor child.
I hope she hid her eyes.

he Hound Pits was your first

moment of safety since
escaping your cell in Coldridge
Prison and it is to here that
you return after each excursion
into the heart of Dunwall. An Edwardian
style construction, its three floors have
been augmented by a dormered attic
space providing a fourth storey to the
main structure. Mysteriously the entire
third floor has been bricked off, leaving an
empty space between Corvos attic room
and the chambers of Havelock, Pendleton
and the servants on the second floor.
Whatever happened on the third floor is
never spoken of.

42

Prior to leaving for the

Golden Cat, you are sent
into the sewers to deal
with a group of Weepers
who have somehow
made their way there.
Something unpleasant
happened beneath the
Hound Pits long ago; a
few scattered Runes are
all thats left.

Stairs connects each of the floors

with open windows, providing additional
entrances from the street and rear
courtyard. Initially, these windows are
simply a means of leaving the building
from each floor. Later, when the City Watch
invade the Hound Pits, they take on an
additional role as covert entrances.
Four main buildings make up the area
that constitutes the base of the Loyalists.
The two that are not directly attached
to the Hound Pits, Pieros workshop
and the ruined tower, are connected by
ad-hoc constructions of metal panels.
The patchwork, ill-fitting nature of their
headquarters is an apt metaphor for
the Loyalists themselves. Each person
has a role to play, even if, under other
circumstances, few of them would have a
reason to ever talk to the others. It is during
your time at the Hound Pits that you are
43

able to observe the personalities of your

fellow conspirators, from Pendletons
alcoholism, to Wallaces incompetent
obliviousness to his masters faults, to the
growing concerns of Havelock as recorded
in his journal.
Standing on the banks of the
Wrenhaven River and visible from the far
shore, the ruined tower is all that remains
of what at one time was a much larger
structure. Whether this building was
related to the Hound Pits, or if it predates
it, is impossible to determine. The lone
remaining tower has been reinforced with
metal and, though inaccessible from the
ground, the single room on the second
floor has been converted into a bedroom.
Freed from the clutches of the
Pendletons, Lady Emily Kaldwin takes her
place with Callista Curnow in the ruined
structure. The heiress to the throne of the
Empire, the literal Princess, takes her place
in the tower and soon enough it will be
time for her to leave for another castle.
From the pictures Emily draws, to the
public announcements broadcast from
the speaker hung over the street, the
Hound Pits is where the consequences of

The Hound Pits,

Admiral Farley
Havelock proprietor,
a fine establishment
on the banks of the
Wrenhaven River.

the Hound Pits is where the

consequences of your actions in the
rest of Dunwall play out

When shes not

hiding from Callista,
or asking Havelock
awkward questions
about the role of
the Empress in
catching pirates,
Emily can be found
within her room in
the ruined tower.

your actions in the rest of Dunwall play

out. This comes to a head in The Loyalists
mission, with Cecelias description of events
becoming either one of unflinchingly
brutal efficiency or an orgy of death and
guilt. Havelock and the others are cast as
scared revolutionaries or power-hungry
thugs based upon your deeds - the acts you
committed in their name with their blessing.
A City Watch officer within the bar can
be heard discussing how Piero has sealed
off his workshop, possibly with the also
missing Anton Sokolov inside. According
to him, the latter is to be arrested but not
harmed, though Havelocks note upon the
bar suggests otherwise.
With the workshop under attack,
Sokolov and Piero have taken to cowering
under the benches on the first floor. How
the former escaped from his cage and
made it to the workshop before Havelock

and the others could find him is never

explained.
Despite their battling egos, both natural
philosophers understand their limitations.
They will never be able to escape on their
own, but now that Corvo has arrived, they
may stand a chance. Before the betrayal,
Piero had been working on a refinement of
one of Sokolovs inventions, an upgraded
Arc Pylon that could, in a stroke, render
unconscious or kill every City Watchman
and Tallboy in the area. In order to finish,
he will need the blueprints that were last
in the possession of Admiral Havelock. If
you have passed through the pub itself
on your way to the workshop, you might
have found the blueprints in the bin in
Havelocks now-empty room. If not, you
will need to secure them before the Arc
Pylon can be completed.
How the Pylon is used is up to you.

Whatever you do, it will remove the

immediate threat of the City Watch and
allow the two natural philosophers to
make their escape. You can, of course,
leave them to their fate and use the flare
launcher in Emilys tower to call Samuel.
Where the Flooded District was a
journey through an unfamiliar space, the
Hound Pits in The Loyalists is a return to
a familiar location made unfamiliar by an
invading force. The spatial map you have
been unconsciously developing over the
proceeding visits takes on a new utility here
as you use it to circumvent the City Watchs
presence. The sewers that you entered to
rid them of Weepers is now a secret route
under the Hound Pits. Unlike the similar
repurposing of space in Dunwall Tower,
the return to the Hound Pits sees Corvo
returning to a formerly safe space that
both he and you are familiar with.
45

Friday
Night Lights
Throughout Dishonored, the actions you take as Corvo Attano have had an impact on the state of
the world, shifting it either toward Low or High Chaos. Certain parts of each level change depending
upon your current Chaos level. These variations are often subtle and primarily observed as changes
to dialogue and character reactions; the most visible alterations within each level are in the number
of Weepers and rat swarms. Since The Flooded District, these changes have become more noticeable,
culminating in the explicit separation of the final location in The Light at the End into two different
missions, each with a different climax, depending on your final Chaos level.

Intrigue and mystery, butchery and betrayal. The

death thrones of an Empire!

storm is hammering
Kingsparrow Island, the sky
filled with dark clouds and
rent by brilliant flashes of
lightning. The entire tenor of
the High Chaos assault on Kingsparrow
Island takes on a bleaker aspect; an end,
compared to the new beginning suggested
by the daylight infiltration of the Low
Chaos variant. No matter your actions here,
Dunwall is in ruins, maybe never to recover.
The divisions that were beginning to
show between Havelock and the others
have finally fractured, with the Loyalists
consumed by internecine fighting by the
time you reach their stronghold. Martin
controls the Fort and has the most men
with him, though Pendleton has fortified
the Gatehouse and stands between Martin
and Havelock, who has retreated to the
top of the Lighthouse.
Now High Overseer, Martin is as
arrogant as ever. After his shouting match
with Pendleton, he retires to the room
overlooking Pier A to plan his attack.
Pendleton, collapsed on the floor near
the freshly blown hole in the Gatehouse
wall, has already been shot. He will die
soon enough, though you can still help
him on his way. Admiral Havelock appears

46

to have snapped completely. Isolated

atop the Lighthouse, he is threating
to throw both himself and Emily from
the summit. He knows his position is
untenable and hopes that threating her
will give you pause. Both Pendleton and
Havelock the latter in his final journal
entry - makes allusions to Corvo being
Emilys father, something potentially
foreshadowed earlier by Emily herself.
Outside the Fort walls, things are largely
the same as in the Low Chaos variant,
though depending on your previous actions

Inside the Fort

wall, Martin and
Pendleton are
exchanging barbs
across the main
yard. Once the
exchange is over,
Martin ascends
the stairs, leaving
his guards to
patrol the walls.

you may have to engage the City Watch

guards sooner than you had intended.
Samuel, potentially sickened by what you
have become, may decide he has had
enough of all of you and fire his flare gun,
alerting the islands forces to your presence.
Even if this doesnt happen, its best to
move away from your starting position, as
two guards will eventually wander down
to the shore anyway. Their conversation
reveals the nature of the fighting that has
occurred before you arrived and their fears
over what is to come.

Though a longer route than cutting

across the beach, entering the Fort via
the docks provides more opportunities
for concealment as it rises up in three
platforms from the waters edge, the stairs
and guard stations creating short sight
lines. It also has the benefit of not being
guarded by an Arc Pylon.
On the opposite side of the Fort to the
Machine Room, and with multiple exits
onto the yard, the interior of Section A is
taken up with the Lifeboat Station. Four
boats in individual angled launch bays, the
submerged portions of each joined to the
others in a tunnel that runs underneath the
patrolled walkway. The Walkway Access at
the far end of the Lifeboat Station leads to
a stair that will take you to top of the wall,
closest to the room Martin has co-opted for
his base of operations.
Sometime during the fighting, the
Gatehouse Control Room was damaged,
destroying the controls for the Wall of Light
in the doorway. In its place, Pendletons
men have installed thick metal shutters.
Somebody has blasted a hole into the front
of the Gatehouse far enough off the ground
to prevent Martins men from gaining entry,
though its not too high for you.
With the forces of Martin and
Pendleton isolated within their respective
sections of the island, its not possible to
exploit their animosity to force them into a
direct conflict with each other as you could
with the City Watch and the Bottle Street
Gang in preceding levels. If you are to get
past the different Loyalist factions, you
will need to either engage or bypass them
completely.
Even if you hadnt already witnessed
Havelock and Emily struggling on
the gantries above, it would be clear
something bad has happened when you
reach the top of the Lighthouse. With the
remnants of the Loyalists divided and
dispersed across the island, the infiltration
is given a pacing and structure it can lack
in its Low Chaos variant. Spatially, both
variants of The Light at the End are largely
the same. The Gatehouse has seen the
most changes, with the Wall of Light on
the first floor replaced by a ragged hole
blown in the wall. The dynamic elements
are where the most noticeable differences
can be found; there is a greater number of
guards in High Chaos, with a slightly larger
number of the more aggressive light bluecoated City Watch.
By isolating Martin and Pendleton on
the island, and separate from Havelock, the
three part structure of The Light at the End
is repurposed as a metaphor for the power

structure of the Loyalist triumvirate. Martin

is the strategist, his focus long-term and
inflexible, dogmatic. Whatever happened
once Emily Kaldwin entered the Gatehouse
put him at a disadvantage, going as it did
against his carefully laid plans. The most
likely culprit for triggering the fight is
Pendleton, the consummate opportunist.
Whatever move he made against the
others has backfired. Havelock fled to the
Lighthouse with the Empress, leaving his
companions to fight it out while he finally
succumbs to his own doubts and paranoia.

To play the High Chaos version of

The Light at the End is to witness the
consequences of unrestrained violence
and ambition. Everything is falling apart
and petty squabbles have taken over from
The Loyalists shared goals. The three part
structure of Kingsparrow Island, which
in the Low Chaos version represented
layered security and defence in depth,
is twisted here, with those three parts
not forming a unified stronghold but a
fractured and broken compound, isolated
and at war with itself.

The smaller
gantry below
the main bridge
houses the
control panel for
the Arc Pylon,
while the floor
of the bridge will
protect you from
its discharge.

47

Havelock has taken

the decision of what to
do about Martin and
Pendleton out of your
hands. They are already
dead by the time you
arrive, poisoned.

So it is, with the passing of the plague, comes a

golden age, brought about by your hand.

y now, Havelock and the

Loyalists know that Corvo has
survived and still they continue
to underestimate him. Burrows
Lighthouse atop Kingsparrow
Island is heavily-protected by the same
type of security devices that you will have
bypassed multiple times in order to reach
this point. The layering of these different
security systems presents a challenge, but
one for which your powers should be an
equal match.
There have been viewable maps within
most of the preceding levels, though in
few instances has their placement been as
prominent or obvious as it is on Kingsparrow
Island. Sitting on a pair of crates directly
ahead of where you part ways with Samuel,
the map provides only the most basic
representation of the levels spatial layout.
Kingsparrow Island is built in three layers,
with the outer space beyond the Fortress
walls guarded by a Watchtower between
the docks and the beach. Entrance to the
Fort is possible from either Pier A - the
docks - or Pier B - the beach - with both
entrances protected by Walls of Light. Once

48

The hallways
within the Fort
are cramped and
evoke a feeling
akin to being on
a submarine. They
offer short sight
lines and few
places to hide, if
you encounter
a patrolling City
Watchman you
will need to react
immediately.

inside, the Gatehouse constitutes a separate

layer largely sealed off from the rest of the
Fort. The Lighthouse itself is on a different
island; the two joined by a suspended bridge
guarded by an Arc Pylon.
Past the Watchtower on the beach, a
small flow of water is trickling from an inlet
pipe in the wall between the two piers. The
hatch is open and you can scale the rocks
near the docks to reach it. Inside, the inlet
connects to the Control Room where a
single guard patrols. This area overlooks the
two entrances to the Fort through partiallyshuttered windows; the controls for the
Walls of Light protecting each entrance can
also be found here. Despite being inside the
walls, the Control Room is isolated from the
rest of the Fort, the door is locked and the
City Watchman inside isnt carrying the key.
You will need to return to the outside to gain
access to the rest of the Fort.
Ahead of each entrance, wooden
platforms extend from the Fort walls held off
the ground by metal frames. A gantry below
each platform can be exploited to move
beneath them unobserved. A route through
these interstitial spaces is, as has been seen
before, highlighted by high contrast red
lights and trim. Maintenance hatches provide
a route between the platforms and the
gantries, with those closest to the Fort walls
hidden behind stacks of crates that provide
limited protection from the Watchtower.
The currents beyond the docks prevent
you circling the island in that direction.
However, to the far side of the beach, stairs
descend to a jetty and from here its possible
to climb to a second inlet. Entering will
enable you to avoid the Walls of Light and
breach the Fort itself. The room you find
yourself in opens onto the main yard a short
distance from the doorway into the Machine
Room that takes up the majority of space
within Section B of the Fort. Drop below the
metal grating serving as a floor here and, at
far end of the room, nearest the Lighthouse,
a wheel will open another water pipe. A Rune,
the last in the game, can be found through
there and, if you climb the chain, you can
turn a second wheel to open a further hatch
and continue on into the basement of the
Gatehouse. With no servants, this area of the
island is the closest parallel to the below
stairs areas seen in previous levels: a low
security space through which you can access
the high security spaces beyond.
The Gatehouse interior is little more than
a stairwell between the first floor and the
suspension bridge to the Lighthouse. The
stairs themselves are guarded, though a chain
hanging the length of the central well and can
be climbed to avoid the patrolling City Watch.

The suspension
cables that connect
the Lighthouse to
Kindsparrow Island and
the surrounding rocks
can be scaled with some
lateral thinking. Using
them, you can reach the
foot of the Lighthouse,
avoiding the Fort and
Gatehouse completely.

The lift to the top of the Lighthouse is

locked, though the panel on the roof is open.
Pulling the handle within will initiate the
one-way ascent to the top and the final
confrontation with the Loyalists. There are
City Watch patrolling the walkways at the
top. Fortunately, their placement should
allow them to be dealt with separately, with
the final guards providing little obstacle
to breaching the interior of the Burrows
Lighthouse.
By the time you reach him, Havelock
has already murdered his companions and
now paces the room attempting to justify
his actions to himself. Emily is locked in her
bedroom, the key for which Havelock keeps
on a table by the fireplace.

In the Low Chaos version, with the

goal of simply reaching the Lighthouse,
The Light at the End can feel sparse. The
confined corridors and raised platforms are
patrolled but devoid of any real incentive
for you to explore. There is a single Rune to
locate and although there are a scattered
few purses to steal, there is little motivation
to do so as the money obtained can never
be spent.
Much like Dunwall Tower, the layered
security around the Burrows Lighthouse
would serve well to protect against a
standard attack from the sea. To somebody
with the full powers of The Outsider, the
problems they present are can be almost
trivially solved.

Where the final level or boss encounter of a game usually

takes the form of a test The Light at the End is better
understood as a question. What type of player are you?
Do you take the path across the beach past the Arc Pylon
or do you stay on the docks? A broadly symmetrical layout
Kingsparrow Island as a space doesnt reward taking one
route through it over another. You have a destination and
multiple ways to reach it, the path your choose is your
own and will depend upon the powers you have selected
and upgraded over the course of the proceeding levels. It
asks the question and you answer it in the way that best
suits your play style and powers.

49

Butcher Bay
The Empress was different. This time, you cant just fade
away into the shadows. There will be consequences.

he Outsider gave Daud one word

to guide his search for answers;
a name, Delilah. The Rothwild
Slaughterhouse operates a ship
called The Delilah. Coincidences
are rare in Dunwall, so if you are to determine
the significance of that name, you are going
to have to find out what Bundry Rothwild
knows in The Knife of Dunwalls opening
mission, A Captain of Industry.
Your second-in-command, Billie Lurk is
waiting for you along Slaughterhouse Row;
her commentary on the events within the
Slaughterhouse are a frequent source of
insight and suggestions.
Between the Wall of Light guarding the
gate and the Slaughterhouse itself, the yard is
patrolled by a mix of Rothwilds Butchers and
members of the City Watch. Large oil tanks,
linked by a network of pipes, dominate the
space between the sea level Loading Dock
and the Shipping Office at street level.
The Slaughterhouse is beset by a strike;
those who refused to work have had their
timecards confiscated. Youll need to obtain
one to use the Slaughterhouses main
entrance, either from the safe in the Shipping

50

Office or by helping the captive Labourers.

High on the rear wall of the building is a
secondary entrance. If you have not upgraded
your Agility, it will remain inaccessible unless
you can find a way to restore power to
the crane guarded by two Butchers. At the
shoreline, an Arc Pylon protects the Sewer
Flow Control, which will open a hatch at water
level that connects to the Slaughterhouse
sewers. From there, you can use the
Sump Channel to reach the rest of the
Slaughterhouse; the blood and offal dripping
from the dying whale above coating the floor,
its plaintive moans loud in your ears.
Filtered through grimy skylights, the
yellowing sunlight streaming into the
Slaughterhouse is barely strong enough
to illuminate the floor. Where the exterior
of the Slaughterhouse is bathed in rich
autumnal light, the interior is muted,
diffuse; the off-white stone and rusted
metal worn down, dehumanised. The blood
that coats the floor is mostly dull and dried.
What vitality there was is gone, washed
away into the Wrenhaven River.
Rothwilds Slaughterhouse is a whale
production line. The animals are hauled first

into the Whale Harvesting area where their

lives are prolonged by electrical stimulus to
promote the excretion of the valuable oil
that is siphoned off to tanks in the nearby
Refinery. Once the whale has been drained,
it is carried through to the Killing Floor
where what is left is carved up, the flesh
passing through the Meat Locker before
being shipped out to various locations
across the Empire. Its an efficient and
brutal process and few of those involved
show any remorse; even Bundry himself
believes his men to be heartless.
Rothwild can be found within the
Accounting Office along with the instigator
of the strike action, Abigail Ames. Both
of them have the information you need,
though getting it wont be straightforward. If
you confront him, Rothwild will run to alert
his Butchers, and while Ames will promise
to tell you everything she knows if you
kill him, to get any answers from her will
require additional work. Her motives are
not as altruistic as she has been making out;
she has been hired to start the strike and
then destroy the Slaughterhouse and its the
latter with which she requests your help.

Within the Meat Locker, Rothwild has

arranged a special interrogation chair that
he has been using to coerce member
of his workforce to renounce collective
bargaining. If rendered unconscious and put
in the chair, either Ames or Rothwild can
be coerced into providing details on The
Delilah. If you choose to interrogate Ames,
you have little choice but to leave her there
or kill her, though with Rothwild theres the
option to ship him off in one of his own
crates to the furthest point in the Empire;
the frozen north of Tyvia.
The four valves that Ames wants you to
open can be difficult to locate. If you have
paid for the sabotage favour, the alarms
will not sound once you begin opening the
valves, though the creaking and straining
of the pipes can be heard throughout the
Slaughterhouse as you make your escape.
Things have changed on your way back
to Slaughterhouse Row. The City Watch
have been replaced by Overseers, a group
of which have captured Billie Lurk; their
music boxes preventing her from using
the powers of the Outsider that Dauds
mark grants her access to. Her capture
foreshadows the Overseers assault on The
Flooded District in The Knife of Dunwalls
final mission, The Surge. Incapacitating or
killing the Overseer with the music box will
allow Lurk to escape on her own.
With plenty of open space and long sight
lines, the Slaughterhouse presents some
of the same problems usually encountered
in exterior locations. Where the buildings
explored by Corvo were homes or public
spaces, the Rothwild Slaughterhouse is
a site of industry, though the same rules
apply; height is safety, so Dauds route
through the space is defined by metal
girders and rusted pipes rather than
chandeliers and bookcases.
This openness serves to highlight the
different ways Corvo and Daud traverse the
environment. Daud is more comfortable
using vertical space; where Corvo would
need to ascend and descend in stages,
Daud can leap from the girders above the
Killing Floor safe in the knowledge that he
can freeze time to make a Blink that would
be a desperate manoeuvre for the former
Lord Protector.
Above all, A Captain Of Industry is
a glimpse at the industrial underbelly
of Dunwall, the brutality that keeps
society functioning. Without the whale
oil harvested by men like Rothwild, none
of Sokolovs devices would work, and the
totalitarian reign of the Lord Regent would
collapse - as would Dunwalls defence
against the plague.

An inversion of the
divide between
light and dark seen
in Coldridge Prison
or the Office of the
High Overseer, the
primary means of
illumination comes
from the skylights in
the roof high above,
leaving the floor of
the Slaughterhouse
in gloom.

Responsible for the

processing and carving
of the whales, the
Butchers are loyal to
Rothwild and have not
participated in the
strike action organised
by Abigail Ames. With a
job to do, and the tools
to perform it, they have
a contextual reason
to move between
locations and stop in
place for extended
periods.

51

Legal Action
Its them or us. No room for heroes in the time of
plague.

he Delilah originally belonged

to Barrister Arnold Timsh. It was
named for a woman who once
captivated but now terrifies
him. Timshs niece, Thalia, can
tell Daud more, though such information
is unlikely to come without a few strings
attached.
Segregating your starting position on
the docks from the rest of the Waterfront is
a Wall of Light. Beyond, an alley leads to a
courtyard, the three white washed skulls on
the wall identifying it as Treavers Close, the
location of your meeting with Thalia Timsh.
The Barristers niece has already attracted
some unwanted attention; the Hatters are
one of Dunwalls many gangs and Thalia
was foolish enough to arrange a meeting
close to their territory. The gang member
attempting, unsuccessfully, to intimidate
Thalia is not alone; his companions are
concealed on the rooftop above.
Thalia has the information you want on
Delilah Copperspoon, offering the name
teasingly as a hint of the secret she holds.
If you are to find out what she knows, you
must first put an end to the feud between
her and her uncle. Arnold Timsh must be
removed, and his mothers last will and
testament secured and returned to Thalia.
Access to the rest of the Legal District is
restricted; if you are to deal with Timsh, you
will first need to locate the key. Stolen from
the City Watch by the Hatters, its current
location is determined by your Chaos level
at the conclusion of the previous mission.
From the outside, the houses of the
Legal District retain their opulence, with
clean white and red brick highlighted by
blue grey metal. The insides, though, show
the truth; many have been cleaned out and
abandoned. With the occupants gone, only
the moneyed facades remain. It has the
ambience of a ghost town. Only the City
Watch are willing to be out on the streets,
but even then they are mindful to keep

52

together, congregating at intersections or

walking patrol routes that keep them within
sight of their companions.
The streets themselves are wide, long
and difficult to traverse unobserved. In
order to maintain concealment, you are
pushed to the edges, to the buildings
themselves. Progress is achieved by
following makeshift routes across their
facades, or through their interiors. As
with Corvo, safety for Daud comes from
sticking to the private spaces: the basement
areaways, stairwells and building interiors.
The Timsh Estate stands off Legal Plaza,
at the heart of the Legal District. Isolated
from the other buildings, the Barrister is
separated both physically and socially, with
the letter he keeps on his person granting

him legal protections available to few

others in Dunwalls society. Not even the
respected General Turnbull, with whom
Timsh is due to meet, has been afforded
such sweeping immunity.
In one of the abandoned homes
abutting Legal Plaza, a diary outlines plans
to strip Timsh of his authority and see him
branded a plague victim. These plans were
hatched by one of Timshs former peers,
a man known simply as Roland. Captured
before he could execute his plan, he now
languishes in a collapsing building near the
entrance to the Waterfront, his face hidden
behind a mask.
Balconies extrude from three sides of
the building, their placement allowing for
their use as both entrance and escape.

With the occupants gone, only the

moneyed facades remain. It has the
ambience of a ghost town

Barrister Timsh has

been considered a
potential target for
the Whalers for some
time. An observation
post on the rooftops
on the far side of Legal
Plaza contains maps of
the Timsh Estate and a
copy of the key to the
basement door.

The rooftops of the

buildings abutting the
streets of the Legal
District are either too
high or too steep to
access, forcing you to
use the same balconies
and interior rooms
others would. However,
the way you traverse
them, the connections
you make between
disparate spaces, is not
the same; buildings are
explored piecemeal as
means to an end.

Unlike the similar way balconies and

windows are used to allow rapid escape
from The Golden Cat, the space outside
the Timsh Estate is patrolled by City Watch
and unlikely to afford a safer environment
than that within. This is compensated for by
Dauds new Blink; able to freeze in place, its
much easier to leap from a balcony, change
direction in mid-air and renter the building
using another balcony on a different floor.
Where the Rothwild Slaughterhouse
was predominately open, the Timsh Estate
is compact and highly populated. Both
office and home to Barrister Timsh, the
layout of the building reinforces this dual
role; the formal corridors and rectangular
rooms of the Legal Offices give way to
more intimate, angular rooms on the floors
above. There are no hallways on the top
floor, with each room connecting directly to
at least one other. Its here that you will find
direct evidence of Delilah, though one of
her portraits of Timsh himself can be seen
overlooking the first floor lobby.
In an otherwise disused room in the
corner of the top floor stands a statue
of Delilah herself. If you choose to talk
to the sculpture, Dauds rhetorical query
is answered. Wherever she is, Delilah is
watching you, the warnings she offers given
only for the sake of her sisters who were
once very impressed by Daud. As for
Timsh himself, she cares not what you do.
Timsh can initially be found in his office

on the third floor discussing his niece

with officers of the City Watch. Once
their discussion has been concluded, he
will wander his home, accompanied by
at least one guard. The presence of other
NPCs provides a complication if you are
attempting to stealthily switch the legal
documents Timsh keeps on his belt.
The last will and testament of Timshs
mother can be found within a locked chest
in the first floor Legal Offices. Instead of
making himself the beneficiary, Timsh has,
either through infatuation or fear, ensured
that everything be left to Delilah.
With Timsh dealt with, either dead or
incarcerated as a plague victim, its time to
get the information from Thalia and leave
the Legal District. If you killed Rothwild,
or left him in his own chair, a group of
Butchers will be waiting when you make
your way back to the docks.
Compared to the buildings along
Slaughterhouse Row, the Legal District
appears far more salubrious. This is
surface deep only; the corruption of
Dunwall society is just as strong here. Both
Rothwild and Timsh are brutal, vengeful
men; Rothwild is at least is honest to
himself about the darkness within his own
heart. Arnold Timsh would gladly see his
neighbours evicted, their lives destroyed
and their assets seized, all while drinking
fine wine and protesting whichever petty
injustice he has recently endured.

THE SURGE
With Overseers patrolling the
former Chamber of Commerce
that serves as hideout for the
Whalers, Daud needs to rescue
his followers before he can
continue his investigation of
Delilah. Where Corvo was an
invader, working his way in
and up, to Daud this is home,
more familiar to him than The
Hound Pits was to the Lord
Protector. Progress through
the environment is based
around moving outwards
and reclaiming territory. The
spatial knowledge players will
have developed exploring this
level as Corvo reinforces a
sense of an altered familiarity
and allows for a non-linear
arrangement of Dauds
objectives. Combined with an
increase in the density and
frequency of Overseer patrols,
The Surge is one of the hardest
encounter spaces in the game,
in an environment that may be
one of the more familiar.

53

The Great
Escape
Get me out of this damn thing and Ill fly.

er original plan to stop you

thwarted, Delilah has retreated
back inside the walls of
Brigmore Manor, outside the
city, beyond the quarantine
zone. Reaching her will require a trip upriver
past the blockades. There is only one
person in Dunwall capable of making such
a journey Lizzy Stride, feared leader of
the Dead Eels. Unfortunately, Lizzy is in
Coldridge Prison.
There are two approaches to Coldridge;
through the sewers that Corvo used to
make his escape, or with the aid of an
acquired Overseer uniform directly through
the front door. Disguised as an Overseer,
the City Watch forces within Coldridge
are no longer openly hostile, but neither
are they inviting. They have asked for help
from the Abbey of the Everyman for a very
specific purpose, so if you deviate from the
areas considered necessary to that task,
you will be treated as any other trespasser
and dealt with accordingly.
Though Corvo is long gone and
the entire cell block in which he was
housed now sealed, his presence can be
felt throughout Coldridge. Guards and
prisoners alike can be overheard discussing
his escape, while those few City Watch
members deemed culpable in his escape
await their execution. Three of them in
total stand in the yard just beyond the
walls; their crimes recited to them before
punishment is dispensed. If you can save
him, the lone officer among them the
man whole gave Corvo the key to his cell
will provide you with information regarding
the location of Lizzy Stride. Rescuing him
can prove challenging, as Overseer music

54

is being played over all external speakers,

blanketing the outside of the prison in
a shroud that prevents the use of your
powers.
The escape of Corvo Attano has had
significant impact on the structure and
operation of Coldridge. The door that
he destroyed has yet to be replaced and
additional security measures have been
installed to ensure that such breakouts are
no longer possible. The most noticeable
of these is the implementation of a
central tumbler system, whereby cells
can no longer be unlocked directly; the
cell number must instead be dialled into a
machine in the control room overlooking
the central yard. Each cell has to be
unlocked individually, though multiple cells
can be unlocked at once. If you know which
cells you want to unlock, you need only

The contents of
the cells within
Coldridge, including
the specific location
of Lizzy Stride, is
randomised each
time you play,
so exploring the
prison blocks first
is important if you
are to avoid wasting
time opening cells
that hold little of
value.

visit the control room once to unlock them

all in turn.
Dressed as an Overseer, the areas
of Coldridge that are open to you are
the same ones you will have moved
through during your escape as Corvo: the
interrogation room, the prison yard and the
control room hallway leading to the exit.
Provided you dont perform any suspicious
activity within sight of a City Watch guard,
you can wander freely through these
spaces; the whale oil tank powering the Arc
Pylon in front of the prison yard has been
even removed to ensure your safety.
The Interrogation room is a wreck.
Roots and vines have broken up through
the earth, destroying the walls and ceiling,
and collapsing the room behind. A body
is slumped within the chair, burnt and
unrecognisable. One of Delilahs coven,

the murmured whisperings of the void

cling to her charred and twisted form. The
audiograph player on the table contains
a recording of her interrogation; nobody
inside the room with her left alive. Among
the other items on the table is a key; of no
use inside Coldridge, it can be used to open
chests within the attic of Brigmore Manor
once you reach it two missions later.
The areas of Coldridge that remain
restricted are those that were entirely
inaccessible as Corvo: sections A, C and
D. Some of the cells within are occupied;
others have been boarded up or stand
empty. One of the latter is being used by
the guards for a regular game of Nancy.
Several of the cells are occupied by Hatters,
who will cause a useful distraction should
you unlock their cells.
Three stories high with cells on every
floor, the cell block sees a majority of
guards patrol the ground floor, with
catwalks on the upper two floors patrolled
by a single guard each. These guards restrict
their movements to Sections C and A,
leaving the upper floors of the smaller
section D relatively unguarded.
Running along the exterior wall parallel
to the control room hallway, sections D
and C are separated by a guard office and
stairwell. If you cant find Lizzy Stride, her
location will be detailed in the logbook
kept in the guard room. Section A runs
perpendicular to the others forming a T
with section C.
Despite your ability to open multiple
cells at once, its unlikely you will be able
to keep track of each cell you want to
explore, so learning the quickest way back
to the control room will prove useful.
Able to wander parts of the prison as an
Overseer, you will be free to plan your
route through the space without drawing
attention to yourself. Section A is the
easiest to access, with each of the upper
level catwalks within distance of a Blink
from the pipework above the Arc Pylon
in the control room hallway. Meanwhile,
the reduced number of guards in section
D is compensated for by the increased
challenge presented by reaching it.
Even locked inside Coldridge, Lizzy
Stride is somebody to be feared. Having
been additionally restrained, you will need
to release her manually if she is to come
with you. Despite her outward bravado, her
incarceration has taken its toll, causing her
to collapse once she tries to stand. Youll
need to carry her out. Even an Overseer
will be questioned carrying an unconscious
prisoner out of Coldridge, so regardless of
how you got in, you will need to sneak out.

Both the Knife of

Dunwall and The
Brigmore Witches
contain more promnient
female characters than
are encountered in
Corvos tour through
Dunwall. Where the Lord
Protector met plenty
of lower class women,
Daud sees more female
characters, such as
Lizzie Stride, in positions
of power - albeit on the
outer fringes of Dunwall
society.

The Brigmore Witches

are powerful, with
this wreckage of the
interrogation room
a hint of what you
are to face in your
confrontation with
Delilah Copperspoon.

With randomised elements and cells that

need to be unlocked from a central location,
what is a relatively small space, compared
to the areas of Dunwall you have previously
visited, can take time to fully explore.
Coldridge has changed since Corvo
escaped. Though superficially similar, the
actual geometry of the level has been
adjusted in specific locations to better
serve the powers available to Daud. Holes

and vents where once there were none;

extra pipework clinging to the walls; even
an entirely new door the changes are
generally subtle and appropriate enough
to go largely unnoticed. Where Corvo
explored the vertical space of Coldridge in
a largely two dimensional fashion, Daud is
given a more vertical playground befitting
his powers and the architecture of the
prison itself.
55

Gangs of
Dunwall

Wakefields a hard man, but hes not as fun as Lizzy.

Lizzy enjoyed it more.

izzy Strides imprisonment left

the Dead Eels to be taken over
by her former subordinate, Edgar
Wakefield. If Daud is to reach
Delilah, he will need to deal with
Wakefield and ensure Lizzys ship, the
Undine, is in working order.
The once-fashionable Drapers Ward
is now a gangland warzone. Battle lines
have been drawn and makeshift barricades
erected as the Dead Eels face off against
the Hatters. The tension occasionally breaks
out into lethal skirmishes in the streets
surrounding the drained canal that divides
the Hatter-controlled shopping arcade from
the Dead Eels base along the riverfront.
Though pushed back to the shopping
arcade, where broken glass from its onceelegant iron-framed ceiling now litters the
floor, the Hatters are not yet defeated. They
have managed to gain access to some of the
latest Sokolov technology and have erected
an Arc Pylon to guard the door to their base
in the textile mill; a door further protected by
an intercom and password entry system.
With barricades made of corrugated
metal and barbed wire, the Dead Eels dont
have access to the technology the Hatters
do, but they compensate with aggression
and numbers. Wakefield may nominally
be in charge now, but Lizzys name is still
mentioned in hushed tone; both feared and
respected, most expect her to return.
Where Drapers Ward was autumnal,
the riverfront is all industrial tones, stained
plaster, stonework and rusted metal. Lizzys
ship, the Undine (named for a water spirit)
sits at dock surrounded by train carriages,
crates and bolts of cloth. Metal pipes clutch

56

the wall that encircles the docks; using these,

you can get from one side to the other
without drawing attention, though you will
need to leave them eventually and there
are many Dead Eels patrolling the riverfront.
Edgar Wakefield, for all his bluster, has
been hiding in the hold of the Undine ever
since he learned that Lizzy Stride escaped
from Coldridge. A metal hatch in the hull
can be opened from the water, allowing
you to climb on board undetected. Dead
or unconscious, with Wakefield out of the
picture you can signal for Lizzy by using the
ships horn. Once she has regained control of
the Dead Eels, the area around the riverfront
will become neutral territory and the Dead

Eels here, and within Drapers Ward, will no

longer attack you.
Unfortunately, Wakefield was only part
of the problem. Sometime during Lizzys
incarceration, a group of Hatters attacked
and stole the Undines engine coil; without
it, shes not going anywhere. Fortunately,
and somewhat conveniently, Lizzy knows
the password to enter the textile mill. If you
can get the engine coil back, shell keep her
promise to take you upriver.
The Hatter base in the textile mill
recalls the Bottle Street gangs distillery.
What was once one of Dunwalls many
industrial concerns is now repurposed to
serve the current needs of the plague-

Rendered in autumnal
colours, deep reds and
oranges, Drapers Ward
is in decline but not
yet entirely devoid of
life. Once an industrial
centre, then the height
of fashionable Dunwall
society and now a
warzone, what Drapers
Ward will become once
you are through it is yet
to be seen.

Where Drapers Ward was autumnal,

the riverfront is all stained plaster,
stonework and rusted metal

stricken population; in this case, through the

manufacture of plague shrouds rather than
off-brand elixir.
The Hatters access to Sokolov technology
extends beyond their Arc Pylon to a Wall of
Light, which has been positioned to guard
the main entrance to the mill above the halfdrained canal and the now-immobile water
wheel. A second door to the side is protected
by multiple tripwires, which will trigger both
alarms and projectile launchers.
Connected to the far left of the mill, the
skylights of the storage area are broken and
can be used to gain entry. If you allowed
him to escape imprisonment within the
Slaughterhouse, you may meet a former
Rothwild labourer inside who will offer
some information on the events within the
mill. The Hatters leader, the Geezer, is old
and dying, his orders to the Hatters relayed
through his nurse, Trimble. If you are to
get the engine coil back, it might be worth
discussing the matter with him.
A stairwell in the back corner connects
each of the mills floors, from the locked
door to the engine room in the basement
up to the attic annex. The majority of the
attic space has been taken over by Trimble
for a private laboratory. Above the water
wheel is the manufacturing floor, where the
mechanised looms are used to produce the
plague shrouds.
Another stairwell in the opposite corner
connects the manufacturing floor to the

If you can slip into the

river, it can be used to
conceal your movement
and, on the far side of
the Undine, the lone
building standing on the
shore can be entered
through an underwater
tunnel; a secret shrine
to the Outsider has been
constructed within.

The Wall of Light

protecting the main
entrance extends to
ground level, but not
into the canal itself,
and with the water
wheel inert you can
move along the canal
bed to sneak under the
Wall of Light and enter
the mill.

57

attic. A balcony on the level between looks

out over the clanking machines, while
inside the adjacent room Trimble himself
watches over the Geezer. The man once
known as Mortimer Hat is now confined to
a chair, tubes connecting him to a whaleoil-powered machine that sustains his vital
functions. The rumour is that if the Geezer
dies, the machine is rigged to flood the mill
with poison gas, killing everybody inside.
Trimble recognises you immediately
and is willing to make a deal: find a way to
get the water flowing again and hell let you
have the engine coil. The Geezer, however,
seems less pleased with this arrangement;
its hard to make out what hes saying and
Trimble wont let you speak to him alone,
but his agitation is clear.
There is an intricate clockwork timer on
one of the benches in Trimbles lab which
can be used to draw him away for a few
moments. With Trimble out of the way,
however temporarily, the Geezer is free to
talk. He is a prisoner and wishes to end his
life. Unfortunately, Trimble set up the gas
and he is the only one with an antitoxin.
In order to grant the Geezer his wish and
survive, you will need to locate the formula
for the antitoxin and concoct some for
yourself.

Drapers Ward throws Daud into the

underworld that he has strived to
maintain some separation from

If you wish to take up

Trimbles offer, you will
need to venture into the
sewers below the textile
mill to discover what
has caused the water to
cease flowing and rectify
the problem.

The formula for the antitoxin is in a

hidden behind a blackboard in Trimbles
lab. A cable runs from the blackboard to an
audiograph player on the bench beside it.
If you can locate the audiograph recording
on Trimbles bed, you can play it to reveal
the secret compartment. There are three
ingredients in the formula; two can be found
within the mill, while the third, Oxrush, will
require you to return to Drapers Ward.
The equipment in Trimbles laboratory
can be used to create the antitoxin. Now
immune to the gas, you can grant the
Geezer his final wish. With his final act,
he will confess that he gave Lizzy Stride
the code in the hope that she would be
the one to end his life; there is more to
their history than either will admit to. The
Geezer succumbs before he can give you
the complete code to the engine room,
though the two numbers he does provide
are enough for you to determine the third
through trial and error.
Beyond the River Krusts and rats, the
sewers beneath the mill initially appear
deserted. There is a locked door off the
main channel, while a side passage opposite
is boarded up. Smash through these and
you can continue to a large chamber, where
a woman can be heard calling for help. If
her pleas strain credulity, its because she is
one of the Brigmore Witches, the first you
will have encountered directly. Should you
chose to interact with her, she, along with
two of her sisters who have been waiting
nearby, will attack you. This ambush can
be discovered if you are careful and, by
climbing up the dried water channel, you
will be able to sneak up on the waiting
witches from behind.
At the heart of the sewers is the water
control station, which is patrolled by a
pair of witches. They are responsible for
the disrupted water flow, and their magic
has caused vines to grow around the large
wheels that operate the pump. If you can
find the wrench to operate the pump, you
will need to destroy the vines to allow the
wheels to rotate freely and ensure the
water can start flowing again. Both of these
tasks are complicated by the presence of
Weepers wandering the lower level of this
room.
With the water flowing again, Trimble
will allow you to retrieve the engine coil.
Alternately, if you located the body of
the Hatter engineer within the sewers, his
key can be used to open the locker in his
Drapers Ward apartment, within a note
details the combination to the engine room.
Depending on your actions in the
sewers, you might find a group of witches

Art: Lenka Simeckova

http://lenkasimeckova.blogspot.com.au

waiting to ambush you when you reattach

the Undines engine coil at the docks. If
you are observant, you can catch them at
their plans within one of the tunnels off the
riverfront and deal with them before they
can mount their attack.
With multiple large locations and shifting
NPC alliances, Drapers Ward throws Daud
into the underworld that he has strived to
maintain some separation from. Corvos

influence on the city might be writ large

across Dunwall, but Dauds actions are no
less impactful even if the consequences
will go largely unnoticed by those in the
citys ruling class. The choices made within
each of the connecting levels are reflected
in Drapers Ward itself; depending on how
you choose to deal with the Hatters and
the Dead Eels, it can be the site of bloody
skirmishes, or a tense standoff.
59

The Death
of Art
Theyre getting in and out of the house somehow, but
I havent spotted it.

ith the Undine repaired

and the Dead Eels back
under the control of
Lizzy Stride, Daud can
make his way upriver
to Brigmore Manor where Delilah waits.
Its time to uncover her schemes and put
an end to them; if not for the sake of
Dunwall, then for that of his own tortured
conscience.
Brigmore Manor and its grounds are
like nothing you will have seen within
the city limits. A verdant, half-flooded
expanse of grass lies before you. Beyond,
the manor itself fades into the fog that
blankets the valley in which it is nestled.

60

Sitting in a valley,
with other housing
looking down from
above, Brigmore
Manor is protected
from both the
elements and hostile
intent. Sheer rock
walls rise on either
side with a fence
constructed between
them, while tall stone
pillars flank the nowovergrown path to
the front door.

Far from the citys broadcasts and public

announcements, the predominate sound
here is the gentle lapping of water against
the shore.
Compared to the hard lines and
industrial tones of the areas around
Drapers Ward, everything here is lush and
organic. More than that, the space outside
Brigmore Manor is open, with few obvious
safe spaces within the distance of a Blink;
you are exposed and alone. Even the
assassin, Thomas, who arrives to provide his
reconnaissance report, can offer little help.
Lying like supernatural landmines
around the grounds and within the manor
are the skulls of large, dog-like creatures
known as Gravehounds. Despite the glow
emitted by the skulls, they can be difficult
to spot at a distance. Approach close
enough to identify them and they will erupt
into existence, coalescing into form around
the skull and attacking you relentlessly.
Throughout the grounds stand statues
of Delilah, similar to the one you will have
first encountered in Arnold Timshs home.
Imbued with part of Delilahs spirit, they
will whisper your name as you approach,
moving suddenly and alerting the witches
should you enter their field of vision.
Its the closest Dishonored comes to
implementing security cameras.
An old structure stands to one side of
the path to the front doors. Avoiding the
booby-trapped doorway and exploring
the interior will cause a witch to Blink onto
the path outside to begin a patrol of the
riverside; the sharp, aggressive sound of her
arrival is enough to set you on edge, even if
she doesnt spot you.
To the west of the path, the fence is

at its most secure and, though there is an

obvious gap, it is protected by a tripwire.
Beyond, Gravehounds roam amidst
the headstones of the family Brigmore,
scratching at the floor and howling. The
sisters of the Brigmore coven stand watch
over the front door, while the flooded
portion of garden to the east is largely
undefended; this is the easiest way to enter
the grounds, though it is also the one that
offers the least cover. Few of the witches
enter this flooded part of the grounds,
though from their position they can spot
you if you are not careful, or quick.
The attic spaces of Brigmore Manor are
split between those that are still relatively
intact, and therefore inhabitable, and those
that are exposed to the elements. From the
now-ruined solarium and the balconies of
the east wing, you can reach these latter
spaces and move through their crumbling
interiors to reach the Manors back garden.
If you can avoid the River Krusts, the back
garden can also be reached by navigating

the rocks and wooden supports along the

east side of the house.
Built to a classic Elizabethan style
E-plan layout, Brigmore Manor has two
wings connected by a central span. Enter
through the front doors, or by ascending
the stairs from the crypt, you will reach the
foyer in the centre of the manor. On the
ground floor, the doors to the west wing are
locked. The east wing is accessible, though
the doorway is booby-trapped.
The attic spaces that have remained
intact have aside from Delilahs studio in
the roof of the west wing been turned
into the sleeping spaces for the witches.
Between the cushions and mattresses
stand a number of chests, some locked. If
you explored the interrogation room inside
Coldridge, you may already have a key for
them; if not, one of the sisters patrolling the
balcony overlooking the foyer will have one.
Off the foyer on the first floor is a small
room where a fire burns within the hearth.
Inside is an Overseer. Captured and forced
61

to eat the flesh of his brothers, he is raving.

Denouncing the Seven Strictures, the
Abbey and the High Overseer himself, he
will explain a little of Delilahs plan if you
talk to him, though his cries eventually lead
one of the sisters to materialise and put
him out of his misery.
With the roof collapsed and rubble
piled on the floor, the way through to the
west wing can be hard to find. Once past
these obstructions, the rooms beyond
are eerily empty; occasionally, witches
are visible through the fallen beams and
crumbling walls as they patrol the adjacent
rooms and hallways. Gravehounds howl
from nearby as you approach the wooden
steps to Delilahs studio. You can just see
one pacing the length of the west wing
hallway through the piled wood and stone
to your left.
Delilahs studio is protected by a network
of traps; tripwires run across the hole in the
wall at the foot of the stairs and more are
strung across the floor of the studio itself.
The projectile launchers they are connected
to aim at whale oil tanks collected near the
support beams of the room; tanks that,
once hit, will cause a chain reaction that is

Though largely
structurally intact,
the inside of
Brigmore Manor is
in ruins. Stagnant
water sits ankle-deep
throughout most
of the ground floor,
while many of the
rooms and hallways
on the floor above
have collapsed so
completely as to be
inaccessible.

The ruins of two

sheds flank the
fountain in the
back garden. Trees
that have long
since stopped
being tended to
have overgrown,
creating halfconcealed patches
of grass; secret
gardens from
which you can
observe the
witches.

The visit to Brigmore Manor sees

Dishonored at its most gothic and
unsettling

Art: Lenka Simeckova

http://lenkasimeckova.blogspot.com.au

almost certain to be fatal.

Echoing with voices from the Void, a
purple lantern sits on Delilahs desk. Against
the wall next to it are preliminary sketches
and partially finished pictures of young
Emily Kaldwin, who, at this moment is
waiting in the collapsed tower behind The
Hound Pits while Corvo Attano strikes back
against the Lord Regent himself inside
Dunwall Tower.
Delilahs journal sits on the table
beside the lantern. Reading it provides the
most explicit information yet regarding
her plans; using a painting of the young
heiress, Delilah will use her magic to
inhabit and take over her body, ruling the
Isles as Emily Kaldwin, while all that made
Emily herself is subjugated to be eventually
lost to the Void.
The way to the gallery is through the
ruined living rooms in the east wing.
Here, the signs of natures continuing
and inevitable takeover become more
prominent. Roots and branches growing
through the walls provide cover from the
many sisters lingering in this area. With her
now in the Void preparing to perform the

ritual, there is little the remaining sisters

can do to help Delilah, so they stay in
Brigmore Manor awaiting her success and
their summons to Dunwall Tower.
Past these waiting sisters, a long
hallway leads to the rear of the house.
Like Delilahs studio, this hallway is also
protected by tripwires. Strung across the
floor at either end, these are easier to
spot and avoid. A pair of witches stand
watch over the gallery and the large empty
canvas on its easel in the centre of the
room, ringed by arcane markings.
Placing the lantern near the canvas
reveals a painting of the Void, though
which you can enter and confront Delilah.
Arranged at the foot of a vast tree, Delilah
is making preparations for her ritual when
you arrive. Though apparently alone, she
is protected by her statues which, through
the power of the Void will take on her form
should you attack her directly, forcing you
to battle all of them before you can finally
subdue her.
Beyond the site of her ritual, there is
another of her paintings; this one of the
giant tree itself. If you can replace this

with the painting of Emily Kaldwin without

Delilah noticing, you can trick her into
trapping her soul in the tree for eternity.
Dead or trapped, Delilahs plan is over
and nobody within the Empire of the Isles
will ever know how close Emily came to
becoming Delilahs puppet.
The visit to Brigmore Manor sees
Dishonored at its most gothic and
unsettling. With lush open grounds giving
way to claustrophobic and crumbling
interiors, it is a level of contrasting
tensions. Outside, you are exposed.
Unable to exploit the height advantage
Blink normally offers, you are left to skulk
through the undergrowth and half-flooded
gardens, avoiding the Gravehound skulls
and statues of Delilah with their whispered
implications. Within the manor, you are
surrounded by the sisters of the Brigmore
coven, the collapsed walls and empty
rooms limiting your range of options,
while the numerous traps make even basic
navigation perilous. Beyond the safety
and familiarity of Dunwall, Delilahs home
within Brigmore Manor is unlike anything
you will have seen before.
63

Art: J.C.
http://risingmonster.deviantart.com

THE ASSASSINS
APPRENTICE

Ion StoRm AlumNI And ARkAnE StudIoS DESIgNER

RICARdo BARE tAlkS cREAtINg coNTEnt woRTHy
of followIng In CoRvoS fooTSTEPS
64

Sneaky Bastards: Youve

just released your first
novel. How different an
approach must you take
to designing and writing a
game like Dishonored, to
writing a novel and how
do you get yourself into
those different headspaces?
Bare: The main difference is that
working on a game like Dishonored is
a collaborative experience. Writing my
novel, Jack of Hearts, was a much more
personal expression, a sort of lone ranger
experience. The way I write: Turn the
lights off. Put on a hoodie. Wrap some
headphones around my head and crank
the playlist I make specifically for each
writing project. Basically, I block out the
external world as much as possible so I can
sink into the inner space of my story.
You got your start in games working
on Deus Ex. How do you feel having
begun your career with what is widely
considered to be one of the greatest
games of all time? Is there a part of the
game that you can point to and say That
bit was me?
I feel incredibly fortunate. Fresh out of
college, I managed to score a tour of the
Ion Storm office in Austin. While there,
I said to Harvey something like, I wish
someone would make a first-person
shooter with lots of action, but with tons
of RPG elements too, like characters to talk
to, cool stuff to upgrade blah blah blah
Harvey responded by spinning his chair
around and loading up an early build of
Deus Ex. I may have squealed.
A few highlights from what I worked
on: several of the UNATCO HQ visits,
including the escape from the secret MJ12
facility beneath UNATCO, the Airfield
confrontation with Anna Navarre and
Lebedev, and the Ocean Lab. I may as well
admit Im also responsible for Howard
Strong in the Missile Silo, chucking LAMs
down at the player from a cherry picker,
for which all the other LDs never cease to
tease me. (I still have the honor of working
with Steve, and Monte, and Harvey.)
What were core tenets that every
designer had to adhere to, and how much
freedom did they have within them?
It was a very organic process, but it
ultimately had to adhere to core design
values at Arkane: multiple solutions,
simulation over narrow scripted results,
and well-crafted, immersive world design.
Sometimes the needs of the overall
narrative would drive what would appear
in a level, and sometimes it worked the
other way around: a level designer or
someone else on the team came up
with an undeniably cool scenario and we
would figure out a way to weave it into the
narrative.

a shorter span of missions means there

were fewer opportunities to show the
cause and effect of your actions
What is involved in taking the lead on
Dishonoreds DLC?
On Dishonored, I was Lead Technical
Designer. I also acted as Lead Level
Designer for the guys in Austin,
coordinating closely with Christophe
Carrier who was the overall Lead Level
Designer (we have two studios, one in
Austin and one in Lyon). For the Knife
of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches,
I had to broaden my responsibilities
and oversight. This meant shifting from
working as an individual contributor or
even a lead over a specific area, to making
sure the global picture hung together. I
also worked closely with Harvey and Raf
to ensure we stayed true to the foundation
laid by Dishonored, while still building new
and interesting gameplay.
Do you have a style or approach to design
for the DLC that you find is distinct to the
base game?
Not in any radical or overarching sense. If
that were so, I think the result wouldnt be
true to the values of Arkane or the original
game. That being said, I think each of us
brings unique strengths and interests,
things that were drawn to or excite us
more than others, while still fitting within
the overall framework of Arkanes design
philosophy. So, for me, Ive always loved
creating and encouraging dramatic
scenarios with interesting exclusive
choices (and opportunities for things to
go off the rails into the game simulation).
Stuff like Overseer Campbell vs Capt.
Curnow, Granny vs Slackjaw, Rothwild vs
Ames and The Geezer vs Nurse Trimble.
But, I think theres a strong continuity
between the main game and the DLCs
because everything takes place in the
context of being surrounded by the same
group of people who elaborate on and
improve each others ideas: the other LDs,
getting critical feedback from Christophe,
Harvey and Raf, Austin Grossmans
writing, and so on.

on opportunities like, This moment

here, Daud would react. He would say
something. Of course, the main structural
difference is that we decided to do a bit
of narration from Dauds perspective just
before each mission.
We saw the Legal District in the first press
previews of Dishonored. What led to it
being cut from the base game?
A lot of different factors feed into why
content gets cut from games. In the
case of the Legal District, it was partially
a matter of it not quite fitting into how
Corvos specific story was shaping up, as
well as wanting to make sure we were
providing good alternation of experience.
So, it didnt make into in the final
game, but when we started working on
Dauds story, we thought it was a great
opportunity to reintroduce the corrupt
lawyer, Barrister Arnold Timsh, who works
for the Lord Regent to strip citizens of their
property.
What were some of the challenges of
maintaining Dishonoreds Chaos system
over a far shorter span of missions?
You hinted at what is in fact the main
challenge: a shorter span of missions
means there were fewer opportunities
to show the cause and effect of your
actions. However, the fact that both DLCs
are connected into a larger story (you can
use your save to continue the same playthrough) meant that we could carry over
the chaos and the consequences of your
choices from one to the other.

Daud is not the silent protagonist that

Corvo was how does this change your
approach to designing mission structure
and story beats?
Working with Daud was really fun because
of the fact that we could use his voice
(Michael Madsen) to do more storytelling
and characterisation. It doesnt alter the
core design of the minute-to-minute
gameplay, but it means we could capitalise
65

THE
STEALTH
REVIEW
Perched high above Dunwall, DANIEL HINDES and

CONTENTS
68. Stealth and Verticality

NELS ANDERSON takes a birds-eye view of

70. Supernatural Sneaking

Dishonoreds sneakiest systems and explores how

it pushes the stealth genre forward

rom the very beginning,

Arkane approached the
design of Dishonored with
the mantra, Like Thief, but
fast. By the studios reckoning,
if the stealth genre was to progress
forward, it needed a swift kick in the
pants. What results is an experience
that exhibits the immersive simulation
qualities first pioneered by Looking
Glass, but explores speedy new vectors
for stealth gameplay which blend and
complement one another in a manner
not seen before.
OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS
After beginning with a typical, Thieflike stealth system of light and shadow,
Dishonored underwent numerous
iterations due to player feedback. Many
were confused as to why guards could
not see the player in extreme close
range even when shrouded in complete
shadow, as would be the case in reality.

Thus, a system was adopted that

hybridised light and shadow, along with
physical occlusion. Light and shadow
only conceal the player at a distance,
though specifically what distance is
difficult to determine even after hours of
play. Occlusion, then, becomes the more
immediate stealth concern.
Remnants of more immediate light
and shadow interplay remain. Candles
can be blown out, either silently in
close proximity, or at range with Corvos
Wind Blast power, but the small area
of light they generate is negligible as
far as detection goes. Beyond this, core
mechanics of light manipulation are
absent; lights cannot be put out to bathe
areas in shadow.
Another minor mechanical addition to
stealth gameplay comes in the form of
hiding spots. These can be seamlessly
entered into, and are easily identifiable
as Corvo assumes an even lower crouch
unique to these locations. Enemies

72. Dunwalls Intelligentsia

74. Tools of the Trade
76. The Whalers Arsenal
77. A City in Chaos

cannot see him in these hiding spots,

so theyre logically placed beneath
tables, cabinets and other furniture.
Crucially, they rarely provide avenues
for continued movement through the
environment; they are temporary safe
spots that must eventually be left in
order to reach an objective.
These core systems actually make
Dishonoreds first level, Coldridge
Prison, one of the more difficult stealth
challenges in the game. Without the
aid of his supernatural powers, Corvos
progress must be slow and methodical
to remain unseen. Its a far cry from the
speedy stealth the game seeks to offer.
Its upon breaking out of Coldridge,
gaining supernatural insight and first
entering John Clavering Boulevard in
the second mission that Dishonoreds
disparate stealth systems begin to hint at
the possibilities that follow. It all comes
down to a near and total focus on the
power of verticality...

67

Six Oclock High

Mark of the Ninja Lead Designer NELS ANDERSON exploits the power of
verticality in Dishonoreds stealth gameplay

bove anything else,

Dishonored is a game
about elevation. If Corvo
is anything, hes a gargoyle
perched upon a rooftop,
peering down at cobbled streets.
Verticality is core to Dishonored, from
its mechanics to its architecture. The
abilities encourage escalation and the
structures of Dunwall invite it.
Dishonored lacks any kind of light
gem or other indicator of concealment.
You can toggle a crouched state, but
beyond that, you have no indication
of how concealed in shadow you
actually are. Initially, this makes the
stealth systems a little muddy and
hard to read. More than once, Corvo
would be spotted by a guard when we
thought we were safely hidden. But as a
consequence, we simply tried to spend
as little time on the ground as possible.
And this is what Dishonored wants.
The ground belongs to the guards. Its
their space and there isnt any real way
to transform it in yours. As you cant
extinguish most light sources or deepen
shadows, the ground is hostile territory
and will remain so. But the rooftops,
the catwalks, the buttresses- those
belong to Corvo. Rising off the ground is
Dishonoreds way to providing access to
its true stealth gameplay.
Stealth is defined by its playercentric nature. Because the worlds
default state is being unaware of the
player, it must operate independently
of them. The onus is on the player to
disrupt the world, unlike most actionadventure games, where the world
specifically creates challenge by acting
on the player. Thus, stealth games are
about cause and effect, about playing
intentionally. Access to elevated spaces
that connect to multiple areas that

enemies generally cannot access is how

Dishonored allows Corvo the freedom to
observe and plan.
Providing Corvo with the power to
Blink is Dishonoreds way of inviting
him to ascend. The fact that it is the
only ability provided for free, and
before starting the games first proper
level, The Office of the High Overseer,
is indicative of its importance. The
fact that Blink can be used often and,
if allowed to recharge, without cost,
alters how players perceive the games
physical space. In Thief, gaining elevation
required expenditure of the both rare
and expensive rope arrows. But with
Blink, ascension is trivial.
Where the importance of verticality
in Dishonored becomes apparent is in

himself and the interrogation chamber.

On that second floor, large lamps offer
the ability to traverse nearly the entire
floor without ever touching the ground.
If you initially take the low road, you still
traverse the kennels by clambering atop
the cages. Even fleeing the Office after
the High Overseer has been dealt with
involves traversing a series of smaller
outbuildings, dropping through skylights
and getting past broken doors by
climbing over and around them. The level
has a layered topography where networks
of spaces connect at certain points.
Those connections are either vertical
themselves, or dangerous areas that can
quickly be reached from vertical spaces
for example, the rat tunnels.
The Office of the High Overseer

The dynamic between the ground as enemy

territory and elevation as the players is
consistently well-executed

that first proper level, the Office of the

High Overseer. The prior level is largely
tutorial and while there is some use of
elevated areas, its relatively minor. Even
in the prelude Distillery District, the
rooftops practically beg exploration. But
in the Overseers grounds, it becomes
readily apparent that ascension is
Dishonoreds watchword.
You begin the level scaling a fence,
and from there, multiple entrances into
the building all encourage the player to
climb. Ledges around the second storey
offer easy access to the High Overseer

sets the stage for the rest of the game.

Dishonored invites the player to look
skyward and utilise the space above.
The dynamic between the ground as
enemy territory and elevation as the
players is consistently well-executed
and engaging. While other stealth games
choose a different set of dynamics to
provide the player with the means to play
with intention, Dishonored prioritises
verticality. The abilities and level design
all work in concert to make that space
belong to the player, and what they can
do from there is truly astounding.
69

Art: ViaEstelar
http://viaestelar.deviantart.com

SUPERNATURAL SNEAKING
By exploiting Dunwalls verticality,
players can employ highly active and
deliberate abilities to create new stealth
opportunities not seen in other games.
The basic process of sneaking up behind
guards one-by-one, knocking them
unconscious and hiding their bodies
can be imbued with newfound rapidity
by Blinking to and fro even whilst
shouldering a guards snoring weight.
Simply avoiding enemies lines of sight
can be accomplished with speed and
specificity, as Corvos teleportation is
silent and near-instant.
But its the rest of Corvos supernatural
repertoire that hints at higher-concept
methods of sneaking. The ability to
possess animals, and later human
beings, effectively allows Corvo to hide
inside the body of an NPC. In certain
areas, this possession-based stealth
offers the path of least resistance
as numerous security devices, such
as Walls of Light, Arc Pylons and
Watchtowers, combine to automatically
render Corvos physical form hostile 70

The ability to possess animals, and later

human beings, effectively allows Corvo
to hide inside the body of an NPC
whether hidden or not.
The Possession power itself is
rightfully resource-intensive, though
from a pure stealth perspective it
feels underdeveloped compared to its
suggestive potential. The time Corvo is
able to possess an NPC for decreases
as he moves from animals to humans,
whereupon its just long enough to
bypass security or move from one room
to the next for a safe chokehold. It is
a delicate dance of risk and reward; if
Corvo runs out the possession timer
without finding a dark corner, hell pop
back into existence to the surprise of all
surrounding NPCs. And hell likely get the
guards vomit on his boots.

We wish the Possession power was

developed further. For example, the
potential ability to directly possess
the next guard from the current host,
creating a supernatural conga line
of queasy NPCs, would extend the
opportunity for player expression and
ingenuity. Presently, the only action a
possessed human being can perform is
the opening and closing of doors. What
of the ability to wield a guards sword, or
fire his pistol even using them against
Corvos primary assassination target,
effectively framing that member of the
Watch? In its current state, Possession
feels more valuable as a traversal tool,
by taking control of rats or fish and

navigating through small tunnels, than as

a direct method of concealment.
Corvos second major stealth modifier
is his ability to Bend Time. At its first
level, time only slows, which still causes
NPCs to notice him. When upgraded,
time stops entirely and with it, the
NPCs ability to detect sound and
movement. From a stealth perspective,
this allows Corvo to silently bypass entire
environments, especially when used
in conjunction with an upgraded Blink
ability, but all at a high mana cost.
Interestingly, we managed to employ
Bend Time to enable a covert transversal
of two opposing ledges high above a street

that were too far away for a single Blink. A

Tallboy patrolled between the ledges; we
used Bend Time, then Blinked and landed
on the Tallboys head, and covered the
remaining distance with a second Blink to
the ledges safety. When time resumed,
the Tallboy was none the wiser as to
Corvos boot print left on his helmet.
This cuts to the heart of why
Dishonoreds stealth gameplay is so
fascinating. When Corvos abilities are
used in conjunction with each other,
and he exploits the games deliberate
focus on verticality, Dishonored offers
a stealth experience that feels fast,
intentional and creative.

Moving through
guards in a
possesed body
may arouse
slightly confused
comments, but
never suspicion.

THE OUTSIDERS ARSENAL

Heres how each of Corvos
supernatural powers contribute to a
new stealth experience.
POSSESSION
Get out of sight
by hiding inside
the body of an
NPC.
BEND TIME
Freeze time and
move freely past
NPCs without
being seen.
DARK VISION
Highlight
enemies and
their vision cones
through walls.
BLINK
Access hard-toreach vertical
locations to
remain hidden.
AGILITY
This doublejump makes
reaching higher
areas simpler.
SHADOW KILL
The bodies of
slain enemies
instantly and
silently turn to
ash.
DEVOURING
SWARM
Summoned rats
can be used to
hinder guards
vision cones.

When it all
goes belly-up,
possessing a rat and
weaving through
the stampede of
pursuing guards
provides an effective
escape tactic. Just
dont get stepped on.

WIND BLAST
Put out light
sources, like
candles or
fireplaces, from a
distance.

71

DUNWALLS INTELLIGENTSIA
One highly traditional aspect of stealth
gameplay that Dishonored retains is full
audio propagation through the environment,
with objects like doors naturally muffling
sound. However, different surface materials,
despite emitting audibly different footstep
sound effects, do not affect the amount
of noise Corvo makes as far as the NPCs
will recognise. Furthermore, crouching
enters into an entirely silent mode of
movement, whilst also allowing silent
drops from negligible heights. This changes
the way players approach the navigation
of Dishonoreds spaces; without the need
to take changes in surface material into
account, the physical movement aspect of
stealth receives an immediate speed boost.
This also allows players to focus their
attention the artificial intelligence of
Dishonoreds enemies, who have been
designed to clearly communicate their
current gameplay state. Lightning boltshaped awareness lines convey their
staged progression of suspicion; one line
results in an audio bark; two lines cause the
guard to stop and look in the disturbances
direction; three lines see the guard move
and investigate.

72

Remaining in a
hiding spot such
as this provides
immediate visual
concealment.

Corvos proximity to the guard upon

causing a disturbance factors into the guards
immediate alert level, as does the nature of
the sound itself. A stray footstep wont cause
a high alert, but distraction items such as a
thrown bottle or crossbow bolt something
that cant be attributed to, say, the house
settling will. In high alert, these awareness
lines remain on the edges of the screen,
acting as coordinates that reveal the relative
position of guards in pursuit. This allows
players attempting to escape a situation to
keep approximate track of their aggressors
without keeping them physically in view.
These awareness markers are useful for

less-experienced stealth players. Crucially,

those looking for a more advanced and
immersive experience can turn the markers
off and still interpret the AIs state thanks to
a comprehensive system of audio cues and
animations.
This extends to the enemys search phase;
its not uncommon to hear a guard order
comrades to check under everything,
giving Corvo should he be cowering in one
of these aforementioned hiding spots the
chance to Blink to safety. Such sanctuary
is temporary, however, as guards in search
mode transform Dishonoreds verticality as
refuge philosophy by looking up into the

Though Corvo is
able to bypass
this Wall of Light
easily, alerted
guards will begin
looking up.

the environments valences transform

due to the lack of a guaranteed mechanic
for concealment
rafters and down over ledges.
Within this partial failure margin, the
environments valences transform due
to the lack of a guaranteed mechanic for
concealment, such as deep shadows. Its
here that Dishonored asks its players to
be the most reactive; the most creative.
If Klei Entertainments Mark of the Ninja
offers precise, digital stealth gameplay,
Dishonored offers the polar opposite
something muddy and analogue. The result
is a stealth game where the pacifistic power
fantasy is shattered as soon as the system
is disturbed. Whilst a full combat approach
can be adopted to deal with alerted guards,
players who want to keep their hands clean
must master not only the games noncombat mechanics themselves, but creative
deployment of them.
One feature unique to Dishonoreds
AI is the manner in which guards will
dynamically reconfigure their patrol paths
should they discover a comrade is missing.
This effectively combats the advantage
created by players perching in a corner,

observing patrol routes and systematically

clearing the environment threat by threat.
Even if Corvo himself goes unnoticed, his
elimination of outlying guards will not.
Combined with the guards tendencies to
randomly stop and look at points of interest
in the middle of a patrol and the system
asks, yet again, for reactive play. All of this
goes further toward imbuing stealth with
speed and creativity, even within context of
navigating through hostile AI.
An alarm system creates an additional
threat layer for stealth players. Given
Dishonoreds time period, alarm terminals
are large, mechanical devices that must be
manually activated by individual guards no
laser trip wires here. In addition to placing all
guards in the immediate area on high alert,
a raised alarm will spawn additional guards
from out of view, who will run into the
area of Corvos last known position. These
additional guards remain even if Corvo
escapes the immediate search, leaving him
with long-term consequences to deal with
on his next traversal attempt.

Some additional AI behaviours are as

notable as they are easily missed. If Corvo
rewires a Wall of Light so that it affects
guards and not himself, the guards will
realise the Wall of Light is dangerous after
one of them gets zapped and will cease
their attempts to traverse through it. Civilian
NPCs who see Corvo perform a hostile
action will enter into a cowering stance;
should they see Corvo again, even when
he is crouched and sneaking, they will emit
an audible cry of fear, which nearby guards
will hear who will then enter into high alert.
NPCs who enter into conversation with
one another exhibit reduced view cones,
which allows Corvo to take advantage of
the characters distracted state and slip
by. Finally, few stealth games include the
element of surprise as a part of a guards
emotional reactions but Dishonored does.
If the player is opting for a stealthy but
lethal playstyle, they are able to Blink to
within view and close range of an enemy
and exploit the half second of surprise the
guard exhibits to initiate an instant-kill.
These factors combine to offer
what feels like a new standard of
artificial intelligence for a stealth game.
Dishonored breaks ground in both the
macro sense with features like patrol
routes dynamically reconfiguring and
in the micro sense with myriad smaller
behaviours. Dunwalls guards have earned
their whiskey and cigars tonight.
73

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Thiefs legacy continues not only
through the stealth genres recent
resurgence, but in the philosophies
that drive immersive systems and
environment design. As Garrett,
players had no choice but to immerse
themselves in Thiefs world, for the
stealth gameplay required them to
pay attention to its smallest details
footsteps, surfaces, light sources.
Though Dunwall is a world is as
immersive as The City before it, certain
stealth systems filter the need to pay
equally close attention to its minutiae.
Key among these is Corvos Dark
Vision mode. After casting the world
in an amber filter, it highlights guards,
their vision cones, and item pickups in
primary colours. It is yet another core
mechanic that Dishonored uses to
speed up stealth, but at the cost of a
degree of immersion. Its a supernatural
power that feels too useful for its cost;
like Blink, its complete mana cost will
recharge if used smartly. Perhaps a
permanent mana cap for the duration
74

avenues for escape and recovery arise

from the very same abilities used to
overcome difficult stealth encounters

of its use, which then recharges after

it deactivates, would serve to balance
its sheer power of seeing all enemies
through solid walls.
Shadow Kill presents another
interesting streamlining of the
traditional stealth gameplay loop. With
this supernatural power, guards bodies
instantly turn to ash and disappear
when killed. Without the need to spend
time hiding bodies, Corvo can focus on
systematically eliminating individual
guards as soon as they leave one
anothers point of view.
It is worth noting that the use of these
stealth powers is entirely left up to the
choice of the player. To Dishonoreds

strength, it is extremely flexible in the

manner it can be played; not just across
the spectrum of combat and stealth, but
within the sub-spectrum of stealth itself.
A Thief-like slow and steady gait can be
adopted, as classic elements like audible
footsteps, the need to hide bodies, and
keyholes that can be peeked through
are free to be taken into account. Even
the games focus on verticality can be
exploited; almost all vertical pathways
can be accessed from street level
without the need to Blink upward, as
earlier designs did not automatically
bestow the power to Corvo for free.
Beyond his supernatural repertoire,
Corvo has access to a number of tools

Opportunistic
players can fire
the miniature
crossbow to
create a localised
distraction.

that exhibit functional value when

employed in a stealthy context. His
crossbow bolts can be used to create
pinpoint, deliberate distractions when
fired into a wall near a guard, whilst
sleep darts provide an effective longrange, non-lethal option. An upgrade
called Stealth Boots further speeds
up Corvos sneaking by eliminating the
noise of his footsteps when walking
and, later, running. Its an upgrade
that fits within Dishonoreds design
philosophy, but when stacked with
other available stealth powers we
feel begins to trivialise gameplay
considerations to a degree where the
increased speed it affords does not
feel as tense or satisfying as the slower
stealth that plays out before it.
As Corvos supernatural familiarity
increases, the spaces of Dunwall he
must infiltrate become more complex.
Dishonored ramps up its challenge for
stealth players by introducing more
guards on tighter, overlapping patrol
routes, blocking clean paths of verticality,
and adding more threatening security
technology. This alone requires a new

kind of consideration for stealth players

how are the security devices attuned?
Is the rewire console easily accessible?
Would it be more covert to possess a
guard and slip past the Arc Pylon?
The ultimate stealth challenge is
found in the introduction of Dauds
Assassins, a new enemy archetype
that possesses the same ability to
Blink up to high spaces. They intrude
upon what was traditionally Corvos
domain, tipping Dishonoreds verticalityas-safety mantra on its head. Here,
advanced stealth tactics, based upon
Possession and Bend Time, becomes
the path of least resistance. However,
main objectives still smartly require
Corvo to be within close proximity to
the Assassins and their leader, Daud just as objectives beforehand required
Corvo to temporarily leave the safety of
verticality.
This progression extends to
Dishonoreds failure design, whereby
avenues for escape and recovery
arise from the very same tools and
abilities used to overcome more
difficult stealth encounters. Bend Time
and Possession both cause Corvo to
disappear as far as the AI is concerned,
whilst tactical Blinking can be used
to escape situations to degrees of
success determined by his immediate
surroundings. Even the sleep dart can
be upgraded to perform a combat
knockout in emergency situations.
Corvo is hardly left wanting when it
comes time to make a quick getaway.

PIEROS ARSENAL
The key weapons and items that can
be redeployed in a stealth context.
CORVOS
SWORD
Can be used to
hit surfaces and
cause an audible
disturbance.
CROSSBOW
Firing a bolt will
create a noise
that guards will
investigate.
REWIRE TOOL
Can be used to
invert security
systems like
Watchtowers.

Dark Vision is
incredibly useful
- perhaps too
much so.

75

Lady Emilys
drawings take
on a darker tone
when Chaos is
High.

THE WHALERS ARSENAL

In what seems like a response to criticisms
that Pieros Workshop sold few items of
interest to stealth players, in comparison
to its more lethal stock, Dishonoreds DLC
campaigns The Knife of Dunwall and The
Brigmore Witches contain new stealth
upgrades exclusive to Daud. Of the nonlethal variety is a Stun Mine, which has the
ability to zap two later three guards
into unconsciousness within a small radius.
Daud also carries a new distraction item
called a Chokedust grenade. At its most
basic level, it causes an area-of-effect stun
against multiple guards. An upgrade turns
the grenade into Baffle Dust, which causes
the distracted guards to resume their
normal patrol routes after the dust wears
off rather than enter into an alert phase.
Finally, a corrupted Bonecharm
called Statuesque can be found in
The Brigmore Witches which makes
Daud invisible to docile enemies as
long as he remains completely still. This
fundamentally changes Dishonoreds
core stealth gameplay, but its location in
the final DLC campaign makes it difficult
to explore fully as an alternative stealth
mechanic. Its drawback of preventing
mana regeneration means combining
its power with Blink is less effective in
practice than on paper.
Its this Statuesque Bonecharm that
highlights how strongly Dishonoreds
stealth gameplay depends on the players
management of their mana supply.
Though some regular Bonecharms allow
slight amounts of mana to be replenished
by drinking from taps or performing a
drop assassination, Both Corvo and Daud
rely on a finite supply of Pieros Spiritual
Remedy to access their full stealth suite.
Its rare that these mana potions are
located on the same rafters and rooftops
that the assassins call their own, so they
must leave the safety of their perches to
explore and ensure they have a constant
supply available.
76

Ultimately, these additional items help

to flesh out more avenues for stealthy
and non-lethal gameplay, especially
considering Daud lacks Corvos ability to
Possess enemies. Its a pity they cannot be
reverse-engineered into Corvos campaign.
A CITY IN CHAOS
In Dishonoreds case, failure design is a
funny thing to critique. Though a stealth
game at its core, it supports the full
range of loud, violent responses to direct
combat. Its a contentious point for stealth
players; if its too easy to kill when spotted
and reset the situation, what tension lies in
stealth gameplay in the first place?
The answer is found in Dishonoreds
subtle Chaos system. With the power to
affect small world changes and major
branches in the finale by tallying the
total body count, the Chaos system
contextualises the stealth approach as a
thematic reflection of Corvos restraint.
The tools and powers that turn Corvo into
a whirling dervish of blades and bullets
tempt the stealth player at every turn, just
waiting for a crack in their discipline to
show itself. Though the changes to Dunwall
additional rats and weepers may be
hard to identify as direct consequences to
Corvos actions, the changes in responses
from NPCs such as Lady Emily expertly
reflect the assassins actions back at him.
Its a system that has the potential to
immediately terrify players, as they may
attempt to game the system itself to
achieve the best outcome. If anything,
the very existence of the Chaos system
is made too overt, with loading screen
tooltips and level summary screens
drawing too much attention to its
presence, which is what likely prompts
such a response. But, amidst the extensive
artificial intelligence advances, faster and
broader stealth mechanics, and a truly
immersive world, Dishonored confidently
presents stealth as a righteous path in a
city brimming with tempting evils.

77

SYSTEM
SHOCKERS
Sneaky Bastards speaks to SETH SHain, Producer and
Systems Designer at Arkane Studios, about the evolution of
Dishonoreds supernatural stealth gameplay

neaky Bastards: Blink is one

of the most powerful tools in
the game for a stealth player.
What were some of the major
changes made to the abilitys
function and the way AI would react to it?
Shain: At first, Blink was just another
power that the player would purchase
by spending runes. It was pretty late
into production when we realised it was
going to be the games signature power.
Fortunately, it wasnt too late to be
influential on other factors in the game
design. The way mana regenerates, for
instance, organically fell out of making
Blink the signature power.
The AI design from the beginning
had to account for the players various
abilities. Blink, when you think about it
from an AI perspective, isnt that different
from using Bend Time to run off and
hide or using Possession to hide in a rat.
The AI, therefore, were designed to react
generically to the player disappearing
and Blink was just another way to
disappear. In early versions, however, the
AI would react as if you had disappeared
even if your Blink destination was still
within their view. So we had to make

If Corvo Blinks,
Possesses
something or
uses Bent Time,
the guards
exhibit a general
state that shows
they notice he
has disappeared.

80

When they wake

up, theyre going
to have some
explaining to do.

allowances for the difference between

seeing the player disappear and just
seeing the player use magic.
The idea of shadows only concealing the
player at a distance is quite distinct to
Dishonored. How did you settle on the
variables governing that system, such as
the minimum distance for concealment?
As a pattern, we noticed that if the
AI got very close to the player without
detecting Corvo (even in very deep
shadows), we got very strong feedback
from playtesters that the AI looked
blind, even broken. Resultantly, we

determined that line of sight (LOS)

had to contribute to visibility even in
complete darkness. On the other hand,
if the AI could spot the player hiding in
shadows at a distance, it felt completely
unfair, as if the AI had scripted or
psychic knowledge of the players
location. So we knew that we could not
abandon the light/shadow based model.
The only thing that fit was a hybrid
model, where LOS is king within
proximity and then outside proximity
visibility is influenced by all light/
shadow. Balancing between these two
extremes was something I was always
thinking about. Even when walking my
dog at night, Id pay attention to the
distance he would vanish into a shadow.
One of the most interesting AI behaviours
is their ability to adjust patrol paths when
they notice a fellow guard is suddenly
absent. How complex can this path
reconfiguration get, and was there ever a
point where a guard noticing an absence
would cause him to enter an alert or
search phase?
Patrol adoption isnt a very complex
system but it is a very illusory one.
The AI doesnt really notice anyone
is missing from a patrol. In fact, its
inverted from what you might think.
When a patrol path becomes empty,
it knows that no AI is occupying it so it
broadcasts to the AI, I have a vacancy!
Then an AI will go over there to occupy
the patrol and say something with the
flavor of, I wonder why this patrol is
empty. It was a simple simulation rule
that they would try to fill vacant paths
and then use dialog to reinforce the
illusion. This rule applied whether the
player killed the previous patroller or
if there werent enough guards to man
every patrol path to begin with. You
could have a map with three patrols
paths but only one guard and he would
alternate patrols saying the same lines.

Stealth in
Dishonored is
extremely fast.
Even the time it
takes to choke
out a guard can
be reduced with a
bonecharm.

when walking my dog at night, Id

pay attention to the distance he
would vanish into a shadow
So, to answer your question, no, there
was never a point where it caused them
to searchthat is, not systemically; we
may have scripted this in some places.
Dark Vision is another incredibly useful
stealth tool, though its fully upgraded
state seems to invalidate mechanics such
as leaning and keyhole peeking. Was this
a conscious and necessary trade-off to
create a more attractive stealth ability?
Indeed we wanted stealth to be
a viable option for all players and so
everybody can use keyholes and lean
without fear of discovery. Dark Vision,
however, has a rune cost. So although
it does make the other mechanics
obsolete, its also balanced against
its cost in runes and mana and the
additional abilities it enables like seeing
pickups and security devices. We were
more worried that some players would
just play the whole game this way and
we debated hotly over whether or not to
allow it. In the end, we decided that its

better to enable the player to style their

play how they see fit than to constrain
them and essentially deny a play style.
One of the few moments in which
Dishonored seems to break its simulation
is in spawning new guards when an alarm
sounds. Is this something Arkane wrestled
with before settling on a solution that
makes the alarms a clear threat no matter
the state of existing NPCs?
Id argue that spawning guards
in response to an alarm is, in fact, a
simulation rule. What were not doing
is emulating where these guards are
coming fromthere are no one-way
doors for them to emerge out ofthatd
just create more problems like why cant
the player go through those doors. And
we did struggle with this. There were
members of the team that fervently
argued against it.
Its a question of scope and
convention. In terms of scope, there has
to be a simulation boundary somewhere

and its best to draw this line along a

well-understood convention. Spawning
in guards for an alarm is a convention
that players already understand.
The compromise on the team was
that guards would spawn even from
sometimes illogical places like an empty
alley, but the spawns would be limited in
quantity, and we added additional rules
to hide the spawn locations as much as
possible.
Unless a player who is elevated above
guards makes a specific disturbance from
that position, much of the guards search
phase involves checking underneath
objects for the player. Was there ever a
point where their search routine involved
looking up at the rafters, or would that be
too problematic for stealth gameplay?
Sort of. At one point, we had some
bugs where the AIs vision would flick
up at some point during the walk cycle.
This created a huge problem for stealth
in that the player would get spotted with
no warning and for no obvious reason,
so we got to see how terrible that was.
Even before this lesson, however, we had
been modeling our AI vision cones not
as perfect cones, but rather as squashed
cones (think of a cone with the top
flattened so a cross-section would look
like an upper case D on its side). This
small change to the shape of their vision
81

Crossing a loading
zone into a new
area often places
Corvo in a small,
safe anteroom,
giving him the
chance to observe
the dangerous
environment
beyond.

cone is what enables vertical paths to be

useful for stealth.
But we also like to break patterns
being vertical shouldnt always be the
best place to be or gameplay becomes
too predictable. We have some
distractions and some idle animations
in which the AI are animated to look
up. Early on, we had this idle animation
where a guard yawns and stretches his
arms out while craning his head back.
One time during early testing, Raf was
hiding out on some rafters and the guard
below does this big yawn and detects
Raf. Surprised and astonished, the guard
unsheathed his sword and had to be drop
assassinated. This is the kind moment
in an immersive sim where the systems
come together magically and produce
these really cool stories.
Dishonored introduces new methods
of stealth, such as stopping time or
possessing and hiding within the body of
an AI. These methods are both temporary
and resource-intensive as far as mana
supply is concerned. What is the design
philosophy behind this balance, and how
did Arkane arrive at that decision?
Our general balancing philosophy
is to make the player feel extremely
powerful without removing the challenge
essential for maintaining engagement.
82

the AI never have psychic awareness in

Dishonoredthey only know what they
detect through their own senses
Todd Howard covers this idea in greater
detail in his excellent DICE 2012 keynote.
To sum it up: too much challenge leads
to frustration and too little leads to
boredom.
Possession and Bend Time are very
effective mechanics for exploiting the
AI so our goal was to balance these
powers without removing their potency.
We chose to employ resource cost and
duration as balancing vectors. Mana cost
because it maintains the potency of
the powers and at the same time adds
meaningful decision-making to each use.
Mana is limited in the game, so there is
an opportunity cost to using expensive
powersif I spend this mana now, I may
not have mana later to do it again. And
the limited duration on these powers
means you have to either pre-plan every
second of the power duration or be
extremely skillful at improvising.
For contrast, Ill explain an idea we
didnt use: cool-downs. We could have

balanced these powers with long, several

minute cool-downs which would allow us
to lessen the mana cost less and increase
the duration. However, this would lead
to a degenerate play pattern of waiting
in a corner for the power to cool-down
and using the same technique for every
encounter. I think its obvious that this
would be a dominant strategy that
encourages waiting around and removes
challenge; a strategy that may have
padded game length, but at the high cost
of degrading the players engagement.
In designing the stealth aspects of
Dishonoreds systems, did you ever feel
creatively constrained by the need for
the games power set to remain generalpurpose?
Design thrives on constraints. We
knew from the start that the player
would be able to do things like use
magic to completely disappear and
the AI would have to be able to handle

this in a believable way. Whereas a lot

of game AIs seem to exhibit a psychic
awareness of the player that toggles
on and off depending on certain game
rules (E.g., As soon as one guard spots
you, suddenly every guard in the level
knows where you are), we knew psychic
awareness wouldnt work in a game where
a key part of the power fantasy is to
vanish from sight. Therefore, the biggest
constraint the stealth system had: no
psychic awareness.
It followed then that we had to create
a system that emulates the AI senses and
awareness. We called it the Attention
system and as inputs it used the AI senses
of sight, hearing and touch. As such,
the AI never have psychic awareness in
Dishonoredthey only know what they
detect through their own senses. For
instance, if a guard spots you, the other
guards will not share that awareness until
they hear the first guard shout Assassin!
The player, however, can easily slip away
from the place where they were noticed
and watch the guards gather around that
spot and initiate their search. They wont
continue to know where you are unless
youre obvious or clumsy.
Tell us about some of the tweaks and
changes made for the sake of failure
design how were systems altered
or modified to allow stealth players

to regain a state of concealment after

discovery?
As I mentioned, the Attention system
emulates AI awareness via their senses, the
player can exploit the AI senses to recover
after a failed stealth attempt. After all,
what good are your senses when time is
stopped, or you are corporeally embodied
by your quarry and have lost control of
your body? Hopefully, though, we did
enough to inform the player that they are
failing stealth before they are busted.
The awareness indicators popping
over the AIs head is a good example of a
change made for the sake of failure design.
Our original goal was to provide enough
feedback through dialog, animation, and
behaviors so that players wouldnt require
in-world UI feedback. Before the UI was
added, we already had a lot of granularity
with the AI responses to failure. They
shout things that are specific to their
sensory input, i.e., I heard that! or I see
you. This is crucial to tell the player how
theyre failing stealth. We also had to add
special shouts to let the player know when
theyre recovering. For instance, if you
Bend Time and Blink into cover, when time
resumes the guards will exclaim, He just
disappeared!
In the end, we realized some players
just were lost without UI to make the
game system explicit. Perhaps players
were so accustomed to binary psychic

awareness in other games that this kind

of UI reinforcement was necessary for
letting them know this is an analog system
with partial fail built in. Adding the UI
late, however, was beneficial to the end
product as we couldnt rely on UI as the
sole feedback channel for stealth failure.
This enabled us to add an option to disable
the awareness UI which makes a lot of our
hardcore fans happy.
Upgrades such as the Stealth Boots and
Shadow Kill radically change the core
stealth loop by muffling movement
sound or immediately removing bodies.
Was there ever a worry that this would
invalidate some traditional stealth
gameplay, or were they purposefully
designed to help speed up stealth in a
manner similar to Blink?
From the beginning, one of our mantras
for the Dishonored vision was its like
Thief, but fast. So these mechanics
passed our design filters without worry.
We figured this approach would enable
and endear a new generation of stealth
players. And powerful as these playerupgrades are, theyre not effective unless
employed properly. An unskilled player is
going to bungle stealth even with these
powers. Therefore, I wouldnt agree that
these powers invalidate traditional stealth
gameplay, because the player must still
employ skill to avoid detection.

83

BLUE
STREAKS

Art: Viktor Boa

http://ecsian.deviantart.com

DANIEL HINDES catches up to two of Dishonoreds master speedrunners

ith the power to Blink

through the environment
at breakneck pace, the
world of competitive
Dishonored
speedrunning is home to the most creative
explorations of Corvos supernatural
suite. Here, were speaking to two speedy
assassins with wildly different playstyles,
Jacob FearfulFerret Krause and Slava
Prenatual K.
Jacobs speedrun explores the full extent
of Dishonoreds supernatural powers,
and completes the game in just 38
minutes and 38 seconds, whilst Slava has
undertaken what is known as a Nihilist
speedrun - he restricts himself from not
only killing, but from using any items or

84

powers, including Blink - for an incredible

80 minute completion time.
Sneaky Bastards: What do you look for in
a game that inspires you to speedrun it?
FearfulFerret: I follow the oft-cited
speedrunning adage, run whatever game
you enjoy playing, because youre going
to be playing it a lot. Speedrunning is all
about learning and repetition and practice,
and a run takes a very long time to put it
together. If youre playing a game that you
dont really enjoy, theres just no way you
can make it through that process.
For me, I never really get the urge to
run older games, as many others do. Ive
chosen each of my games by playing them
casually, reaching the game over screen,

and saying to myself, Man, I wish this

game was longer. Speedrunning is simply
an excellent way to continue to enjoy your
favourite games in new and creative ways.
Prenatual: Firstly and most importantly,
I must really like the game. Im a big fan
of the FPS/RPG/stealth hybrids Thief,
Deus Ex and System Shock 2 are among
my favourite games and Dishonored
was one of the best entries in this genre
in recent years, despite some of its
shortcomings. Choosing to speedrun it
was a no-brainer.
Secondly, the game must have a
complex enough AI so its fun to toy with
and allow for some creative problem
solving through non-standard means.
Dishonored offered plenty of that.

Slava, what attracted you to the Nihilist

speedrun specifically?
Prenatual: This approach was partly the
result of my unrealistic expectations (I
read from previews about Thief being
a huge influence and blindly hoped for
the game to be totally Thief-like) and the
desire for a more challenging experience.
While I loved the emphasis on verticality
in the level design, I was disappointed that
stealth in Dishonored... minimised the
importance another two major aspects
the ability to predict the behaviour of
enemies and the timing of movements.
Forgoing Blink brought me back to Earth,
so to speak, and forced me to study the
levels layout, constantly pay attention to
enemies, plan distractions and do all the
other things you normally do when you
play a classic stealth game.
How do you plan a run? What goes into the
exploration of the games possibilities?
FearfulFerret: Theres a lot of work that
goes into routing a game. Personally, I
usually dont get involved in the large-scale
decisions such as the order in which to
complete objectives, which items to collect,
and so on; I just copy whatever the current
world record does. I do, however, put a lot
of time into optimisation, where I plan out
every jump, every skill use, and so on to
shave off as much time as I possibly can. Its
a very iterative process, and is particularly
important in Dishonored.
The Blink mechanic is an excellent
mechanic for speedrunning because of how
the mana system works. Figuring out when
to Blink, when to let your mana regenerate,
and so on so that you end every level with
no mana remaining and you end the game
with no mana potions remaining is a huge
challenge, and its the part of the game that
Ive poured the most time into. I improve
speedruns by trial and error, and it can take
dozens and even hundreds of hours to
really develop a run.
Prenatual: Before I start planning a run I
must know what options I can choose from.
And to know that I have to play through
the game in every conceivable way and, if
possible, test all possible outcomes to every
situation. I did 3 playthroughs in 3 different
styles before I even started planning my
Nihilist run:
1) Normal playthrough without any
artificial restrictions, mostly lethal,
2) Non-lethal completionist run,
3) High-chaos, kill-everyone, blow-upeverything, make-the-worst-choices run.
All three took about 60 hours in total
and gave a pretty good understanding

MISSION 1: COLDRIDGE PRISON

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 4:08
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 7:26

MISSION 2: THE OVERSEERS OFFICE

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 2:45
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 13:17

MISSION 3: THE GOLDEN CAT

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 2:57
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 15:32

MISSION 4: KALDWINS BRIDGE

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 2:13
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 10:08

85

of the game. The run itself took me an

additional 40 hours to make: that includes
experimenting with different approaches,
planning the routes and doing retakes.
The total running length of the videos
Ive made for the main game (minus the
DLC) is around 80 minutes, so the ratio of
time spent vs. the resulting video length
is around 30:1. It probably seems like a
lot, but with the kind of stuff I do, where
dozens of things can go wrong at any time,
it is perfectly normal.
What points of interest or mechanical
intricacies about the way Dishonored
works did you discover over the course of
planning these speedruns?
FearfulFerret: Dishonored has its fair share
of mechanical quirks. Up through the 1.2
patch, you could Blink into or through
basically any flat wall, door, or safe by
crouching, leaning into it, and Blinking
as you stand up. During the exit from
Coldridge prison, you can jump onto the
retracting bridge right after the explosives
go off and just walk out of bounds. The
ceiling in the top floor of the art dealers
apartment has no collision in some places;
you can just Blink right through it.

When youve got a game as big as

Dishonored, youre going to have these little
glitches. A lot of the fun of speedrunning
comes from trying to find them and figure
out how they may be useful. The most
useful mechanical elements of Dishonored
arent quite so flashy, though. The most
often-used glitch in Dishonored is called
Swordless and lets you holster your folding
sword while keeping your secondary
weapon active, thus allowing you to run at
full speed while still being able to use Blink.
Additionally, some glitches can actually be
quite harmful; if you run through the first
part of Kaldwins Bridge too quickly, you
can get to the door to the next area before
your objective updates, which soft-locks
the game!
Prenatual: The most surprising thing I
discovered is that and Dishonored is actually
a competently designed stealth game with
a lot of attention paid to level geometry,
enemies placement/patrol routes and a
lot of extra options for moving through the
environments. With a few exceptions (both
in the main game and two story DLCs) most
of the levels can be navigated only through
natural means: running, jumping, climbing
and swimming. And doing that can be as

interesting as using Blink. If you DO use it,

however, youll miss out a lot.
To give you an example, in the 4th
mission after I abduct Sokolov, I have to go
through a lot of trouble to activate the secret
elevator and drag Sokolovs body through
the house without getting spotted. If I was
using Blink, I would be done with that part
in five seconds, but without it that section
turned into one of the most challenging
and interesting parts of the level
How does Dishonored compare to other
games when attempting speedrunning
in terms of depth, creativity and
enjoyment?
FearfulFerret: Every game is unique, and
speedrunning lets you get to know a game
better than most anyone else. Dishonored
has a lot of things going for it. The Blink
spell is one of the most interesting game
mechanics in a first-person shooter
for speedrunning, and gives you many
options to choose from when figuring out
how to travel throughout the game world
in an efficient manner.
On a very basic level, one reason
I love running Dishonored is the run
speed. Theres a certain primal satisfaction

MISSION 5: BOYLE MANOR

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 1:16
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 9:05

MISSION 7: THE FLOODED DISTRICT

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 2:12
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 8:20

MISSION 6: DUNWALL TOWER

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 2:09
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 8:11

MISSION 8: THE HOUND PITS PUB

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 0:45
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 2:36

MISSION 9: KINGSPARROW ISLAND

FearfulFerrets Any% Record: 2:21
Prenatuals Nihilist Speedrun: 8:27

The better the record gets, the deeper

you need to know the game before you can
hope to challenge it
in switching over to Dishonored after
running a game where the character
moves slower, such as BioShock Infinite.
Dishonored is also a relatively popular
game and tends to draw a lot of viewers
both on my Twitch stream and YouTube
channel, which makes runs so much
more exciting. That said, I deeply enjoy
every single game that I speedrun, and
choosing my favourite among them isnt
really possible.
Prenatual: Its not stellar, but its good.
The depth is less than what you find in
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (which was
designed from the ground with a support
for multiple equally valid approaches).
Levels in Dishonored are mostly static
and there are very few physics objects, so
you cant manipulate the environment in
any meaningful way. This was my main
disappointment with the game, as it is
a rather huge step back from Arkanes
previous project, Dark Messiah of Might
and Magic.
And its a lot less difficult than
something like Hitman, where the density
of enemies is typically much higher,
so if you choose to completely avoid
87

killing or knocking them out, youd have

to pay much more attention to your
surroundings and plan your distractions
very carefully.
One thing that I feel Dishonored gets
right and even better than most games
using first-person perspective is controls
they are responsive and precise, with
movement being very smooth and fluid
which plays huge role in making repeated
playthroughs, and especially speedruns,
enjoyable.
What encourages you to make continual
attempts for the world record for
Dishonored?
FearfulFerret: Dishonored requires a
great deal of precision to get a good
time, and the current world record,
held by DecidedSloth, is extremely
optimised. Getting back the record will
probably be more difficult than any other
speedrunning attempt Ive ever done.
The better the record gets, the deeper
you need to know the game before you
can hope to challenge it, and Dishonored
definitely has the depth necessary to
make it an enjoyable experience.

A major driving force is the

speedrunning community; I stream every
run I do on my Twitch channel, where
viewers can watch and interact with me in
real-time. When a run is going really well,
there is an atmosphere of excitement
that really cannot be matched.
Speedrunning is both a personal project
and a public performance, which makes
it one of my favourite ways to experience
a game.
What do you feel is one of the single
most creative manoeuvres or exploits
employed in your speedruns?
FearfulFerret: The most creative elements
of a speedrun tend to be the most
obscure. When you watch a Dishonored
run for the first time, it looks like Im
simply Blinking toward mission targets,
killing them, and then Blinking out. The
huge amount of work and creativity that
was used to plan out every single Blink
and jump is largely invisible. Speedruns
tend to draw repeat watchers because the
more you watch a run, the more you can
appreciate the work that went into it.
DecidedSloth has a technique called
the Sloth Jump that is used in the first area
of the Flooded District, and is a rather
tricky pair of jumps and Blinks that lets
you skip about 10 seconds of navigating
the flooded area. Naturally, I was jealous,
and wanted something named after me,
so I invented a move called the Ferret
Fetch. In the first visit to the Hound Pits,
Piero asks you to retrieve a whale oil tank
from upstairs in his lab. Most runners
stand on the stairs and jump to grab the
tank. I discovered that there is a narrow
window within which you can stand on the
stairs and grab the tank without jumping.
It probably saves less than a tenth of a
second, but at least I have something I can
call my own.
Prenatual: It was in the 3rd level of
The Knife of Dunwall DLC, where Daud
must free one of his assassins before he is
executed by Overseers. I had to somehow
deal with three overseers before I could
untie and free the assassin, but since I
could only use my sword to make noises
and distract the Overseers, it has caused
some complications. I think this particular
encounter was the one that took me
the most time to figure out, because it
clearly wasnt designed for approach Ive
chosen. Finding a non-lethal solution,
while complying with all the restriction
Ive put on myself, required a very good
understanding of the games AI and a lot of
experimentation.
87

88

JEREMY ROMAND
http://caparzofpc.deviantart.com

JULIA FROST
http://nonparanoid.
deviantart.com

JULIA FROST
http://nonparanoid.
deviantart.com

VAL BABAYANTS
http://vbabylon.
deviantart.com

89

ROSIANA
www.aorchard.com

IAIN HENDERSON
http://brampf.tumblr.com

90

IAIN HENDERSON
http://brampf.tumblr.com

91

92

MATVEY SAPEGIN
http://sapeginm92.deviantart.com

SHELBIE
KONIRATHRAX PILCHER
http://konirathax.daportfolio.com

RISINGMONSTER
http://risingmonster.deviantart.com

93

THE
INSIDERS
Co-creative Directors Raphael Colantonio AND Harvey
Smith ON THE genesis OF DISHONORED, MANAGING chaos
and crafting aN IMMERSIVE world
94

neaky Bastards: We know

much about the early Victorian
concepts for Dishonored.
What were some of its earliest
gameplay and system concepts,
and how strongly tied were they to much of
Looking Glass own design philosophies?
Colantonio and Smith: There are design
concepts that Arkane Studios shares with
older companies like Looking Glass, Ion
Storm Austin and even Origin, for sure. The
original concepts for Dishonored gameplay
were a mix of stealth and mobility, but also
the feeling that the world is plausible and
complete; coherent spaces that feel credibly
lived in. Further, our early concepts of magic
were tied to the Devil - to gain them, you had
to commit acts of evil, and each time you
used the powers it cost you. At one point, we
wanted to use Health as Mana, too.
The Hearts dialogue is powerful enough
that players have been known to alter their
playstyle or reactions to NPCs based on its
words alone. What went into the writing of
the Hearts dialogue, and how do you feel
the information it provides complements
the underlying Chaos system?
The system could have been a bit more
elegant. Sometimes there was repetition
and a bit of schizophrenia. However, we
love the dialogue. We devised the various
states, wrote some examples, then turned it
over to Austin Grossman and Terri Brosius.
Specifically, all of us agree that some of our
favorite Heart lines came from Terri, full of
cutting commentary on our cold, oppressive
world. Often warm, but often haunting.
This is a tiny example of research paying

off. The Empire of the Isles is a place where

power is unevenly divided; the powerless are
devoured or abused by the dominant class.
We looked up what extremely poor children
did in the Victorian times, and found the
term mudlark, which made it into a couple
of books or notes and at least one Heart line.
Other bits of research informed our views
of the dismal conditions endured by the
impoverished or excluded - in comparison to
the opulence enjoyed by the wealthy.
The last two variants of Dishonoreds final
level provide very clear visual and gameplay
distinctions that reflect the state of the
Chaos system; contrasting the more subtle
changes the Chaos system provides in the
previous levels. Is this more significant
distinction in the final level something you
would have liked to explore further?
That would be interesting. If we could
maintain our art style and procedurally
generate game content, it might be cool
to branch huge sections of the game. But
given our constraints, if we were ever going
to make a large mission branch, the end
seemed like the right place. All the more
subtle stuff does add up, though, and

we hear constantly from players who are

exploring the ways in which the experience
feels like their own.
The Chaos system is interesting in the
way it changes the expectations of the
players concept of Dishonoreds finale and
resolution. In the Low Chaos finale, Corvo
finds two of his targets poisoned before he
arrives, and the third unwilling to fight him.
What kind of iterations did these finales go
through, and how deliberately were they
designed to show a distinction between
the games understanding of High and
Low Chaos versus the players ingrained
understanding of traditional Good and
Evil finales?
We wanted the player to be able to win the
game in different ways. There is no overt
you lose ending, but of course, if you let
Emily die, its not all sunshine and roses.
And if she lives, there are two different end
states, showing a more or less stabilised
society. Samuel Beechworth, the boatman,
has three different reactions to what kind
of person you are based on whether you
acted judiciously (maintaining that human
life has value and should not be taken away

OUR early concepts of magic were

tied to the Devil - to gain them, you
had to commit acts of evil

One cut level was

set in a lunatic
asylum with
inmates who
were extremely
sensitive to sound.

95

lightly), vengefully, or near-psychotically.

We went through a lot of iteration and
debate. As always, were never 100% certain
about what were doing, but were trying to
make the best game we can, and trying to
make it interesting and different. Chaos and
political/social stability seemed like a good
thing to explore in a game about an assassin,
but we did not want an outcome where you
lose/are a villain vs you win/are a godlike
hero. So the variations on the endgames all
involve the people of Dunwall - those who
you allowed to survive - moving on with
life the best they can. Even though there
are basically two states, neither ending
is a complete win or loss. Youre the hero
and you completed the journey, but the
outcome is not classically good or bad. Its
possible to feel like the bad-arse who kept
it all together despite the odds, or the badarse who said to hell with it and let it all
burn down.
Some criticism has been levelled at the
games stealth arsenal; specifically, the
fact that there are fewer stealth items to
purchase between missions, and fewer nonlethal means of dispatching enemies. Is the
stealthy, non-lethal approach inherently
tied to the idea of Corvo himself showing
restraint, which the Chaos system also
promotes?
Some of this was deliberate in that we
wanted it to be easier (and tempting) to
kill. Its a more hardcore challenge to sneak,
to ghost, and to play without killing. We
like the fact that game offers a range of
self-imposed difficulties in this way, and
a non-standard approach to overcoming
enemies and obstacles. (The standard way
in combat/action games is that killing is the
only option.) A few people have claimed that
some of the powers, like Possession or Bend
Time, are mostly lethal or combat oriented,
but those two powers specifically are just
as powerful as stealth/non-lethal tools. All
that said, we added a few more non-lethal/
stealthy devices in the Knife of Dunwall and
Brigmore Witches DLC.
The Hound Pits Pub is opposite Dunwall
Tower, and the collapsed bridge of the
Distillery is visible from many levels on the
water. What was the thinking behind making
every level occur in a location visible from
another?
Were into very cohesive worlds, plausibly
laid out. Were constantly asking people, But
how did this guard get to work, from his flat?
Where does he use the toilet? Our art and
level design teams are the same and share
this value. As such, the team made the effort
96

to lay out the city - to know at all times where

other important locations were located, even
those that did not make it into the final game.
The Clocktower features prominently in that
its visible from almost every mission, yet
its never visited as a location itself. Is there
more behind the Clocktowers presence as a
landmark for orientation?
Initially, we wanted it as a kind alt-Victorian
version of the Clocktower in London,
visible from many locations and rendered
in our style. But then it was also part of the
Parliament mission that got cut.
Each level has an in-world map. What is the
motivation behind having them as items
within each mission, rather than something
players have access to in their inventory UI?
Modern games have gotten a little too safe:
X-ray vision, RADAR, a handling character
talking into your earpiece, a PDA map, etc.
Putting the maps in the world, at least until
you find them, seems lower-tech and more
gritty. We were driving toward that aesthetic
in many ways.
Arkane has mentioned that Thief IIs Life
of the Party mission had some general
influence on Dishonoreds own mission
design. Could you elaborate on the nature of
that influence, as well as why you feel Life of
the Party still holds up today?

Were constantly asking, But how

did this guard get to work, from his
flat? Where does he use the toilet?

I guess the memory we have of this mission

is that it provided a great change of pace
and context to the player. Also, the idea
of being incognito at a very upscale party
resonates with people: Weve all wanted
to do it at some point or another, right?
Also, its an opportunity for the player to
interact very closely with some characters
that theyve always seen as dangerous until
this part of the game. Having a chance
to mingle with the elite guards feels like
playing with fire to the player. A set of very
interesting tensions and emotions.
Could you tell us more about some of the
content that was cut?
As with every one of our games, cutting
is part of the process: We deliberately
design 30% more content on paper than
the game needs and we select the best
prototypes to make it into the game. It

doesnt mean that these ideas wouldnt

have worked, but just that in the context of
what we needed and the experience, they
didnt make it.
The Dunwall City Trials DLC highlighted
some levels of systemic depth, which
players may otherwise have missed, by
enforcing stricter goal requirements for
each challenge. How do you encourage
that kind of deeper systemic exploration
in the primary game, without enacting
challenge-like goal restrictions?
This is a great question because it touches
one of the biggest paradoxes of our game
design philosophy. The answer is that we
dont. By nature, our games let the player
play their own way, so going super deep is
only elective. I guess we could encourage
it by giving achievements or more rewards
when the player goes deep. Thats also

the reason why we did a DLC to push the

player to optimise and go incredibly deep
beyond what they could have done in the
main game.
Looking back on Dishonored and the
way players explored and experimented
with its systems, is there anything you
would have approached or implemented
differently?
Probably, and our future games will benefit
from the experience of Dishonored.
Without giving a precise example, we
became fans of giving a lot of clarity to the
player, making sure they understand when
there is a choice, making sure they connect
the consequences later.
One of the intentions behind Dishonored
was to bring the immersive simulation
design philosophy to a wider audience.
Given the reception the game received, do
you feel that has been accomplished?
I think we did, and marketing had a big
role in this success. The part that is very
satisfying to us is that we have reached a
wider audience without compromising the
part that was so dear to us: depth, choice,
simulation. A big part of reaching a wider
audience is in the presentation, exposing
the choices, tutorial moments, and
interesting subject matter.
97

Prepared by MagCloud for Nigel Lee. Get more at dhindes.magcloud.com.